The Pieces of Her Past
by pdlbean
Summary: Booth and Brennan have been together and happy for over a year. But when Brennan is forced confront her past, things come out in the open that even Booth didn't know. Can he help her move on, or is it too much for even these partners to survive?
1. Shots in the Crowd

**Alrighty, here's a new story for all you lovely people! This will be replacing The Prisoner on the Phone, which has been cancelled. I'm sorry about that, but I sort of wrote myself into a corner. This I hope will be a little better because I actually have the major points planned out. (Never a bad thing to do, it turns out :P) I hope you like it!**

Booth walked into their bedroom and smiled when he saw his girlfriend looking at herself sideways in the full-length mirror. She saw his reflection in the mirror and sighed. "I look fat," she said with a frown. Booth chuckled and shook his head.

"You're not fat," he promised as he walked up to her and planted a kiss on her head. "You're pregnant. That's different."

"Point of clarification, I said I _look _fat, not I _am _fat." Booth laughed again and turned her around to face him. He rested his forehead on hers and smiled.

"You look beautiful," he whispered like it was a secret. "You're carrying my baby, Bones. There's nothing more beautiful than that." Brennan smiled but backed away from Booth.

"Maybe to you and me," she pointed out, "but not to the hundreds of FBI agents who will be at this ball and who will take one look at me and start teasing you about how you knocked up your partner." Booth laughed and pecked Brennan on the lips.

"How did you even know that phrase?" Brennan grinned and snaked her arms around his neck.

"I learned it when Angela was pregnant with Chance," she explained as she toyed with Booth's hair.

"Most everyone knows that we're having a baby, Bones," he assured her after a moment. "I mean when we started telling people I basically shouted it from the rooftops. The entire Hoover building probably knows by now. And if someone gives me or you a hard time, I'll just punch them."

"I think a warning would suffice for a first offense," Brennan joked. "Can you help me put this on?" She held up a necklace. Booth took it and she turned around.

"I love this necklace," Booth said as he clasped it.

"I know. None of the dresses you love fit me anymore. I wanted to wear something you liked." Booth kissed Brennan on the crook of her neck and she lifted her arm up to caress his cheek. His hands slid down to her midsection and rested on her slightly protruding belly. He rested his chin on her shoulder and his eyes lit up when he felt movement under his hand.

"She's ready to party," Booth said with a laugh. Brennan rolled her eyes and turned around in his arms.

"Why do you insist on referring to the baby in a gender specific way?" she asked as she slid her arms around his neck. On their last doctor's appointment the baby had yet again been unwilling to reveal whether they were a boy or a girl. Booth shrugged and began rocking Brennan back and forth unconsciously.

"I just think it's rude to call him an 'it,'" he explained.

"You can refer to the baby as 'him or her,' that's what I do," Brennan pointed out. Booth shook his head.

"Takes too long." He couldn't take his proximity to Brennan's mouth any longer and gave her a sweet yet passionate kiss. The kiss quickly developed into something more and Booth was itching to rip off that black dress Brennan had just put on. She pulled away from him before they got too carried away.

"Let's go." Booth grunted in protest and followed her out of the bedroom.

**-BONES-**

The couple had fun at the annual FBI ball, but Brennan got fatigued easily in her condition and she quickly tired. She was dancing with Booth, her head resting on his shoulder. "Getting tired, Bones?" he asked with a hint of concern in his voice. She nodded against his neck and he held onto her a little tighter. "Okay, I just have to make nice with a few of the higher ups and then we can go." She nodded again and he kissed her on the head. The song ended and Booth spotted someone he should talk to before they left. "Come on, Bones," he said as he took her hand.

"I have to go to the restroom," she told him and pulled her hand from his. "Is that okay? Should I be with you when you introduce yourself to your superior?"

"Of course it's okay, Bones. What do you think I'm gonna say? No, you have to hold it? Go, I can fend for myself for five minutes." Brennan smiled appreciatively and walked away from her boyfriend. He watched her disappear into the crowd then approached the FBI's Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel to the Director. "Hello, sir."

"Agent Booth! I was hoping to make your acquaintance this evening." Booth suddenly wished Brennan hadn't gone to the bathroom. He could use the moral support. The man was about to say something else when loud popping noises filled the ballroom. Booth had heard the sound enough times in his life to recognize it right away. They were gunshots. He instinctively reached for the gun in his hip holster, only to remember that he hadn't brought it, at Brennan's insistence. He looked around his immediate perimeter and saw that the man he had just introduced himself to, the Chief of Staff of the entire FBI, was hit. He took action and knelt next to him. He quickly found the entrance wound in his chest and applied pressure.

"We have a man down!" he shouted above the pandemonium around him. "I need to get him outside and to a medic now!" A few other agents stopped to help. They assisted the CoS to his feet and supported his weight as they walked him outside. Even as the man's blood seeped through his fingers, Booth's only thought as he exited the building was if Brennan was okay.

**-BONES-**

When Brennan left Booth, she tried to make her way through the throngs of people packed in the relatively small ballroom. "Excuse me, excuse me," she said with a smile as she pushed past person after person. She was nearly to the door when the shots rang out. She instinctively hit the deck while everyone around her panicked. She never had a chance.

Men's leather shoes and high heels dug into her from every angle. Her hands automatically went to her stomach to protect her baby. She cried out in pain but no one stopped to take notice of the woman under their feet. She finally found an opening and struggled to her feet. She was in some pain and she was sure she would be bruised the next day, but overall she seemed okay. She began scanning the crowd for Booth, but didn't see him. Fear beginning to take over, she walked against the general flow of people toward where Booth had been standing. She felt her heart sink when she saw the puddle of blood almost exactly where she had left him.

She found her way outside with the others and spotted several ambulances. She made a beeline for them in a desperate search for Booth. "Booth!" she shouted over the crowd that now congregated on the lawn. "Booth, where are you?" She reached the ambulances and approached an EMT to ask who had been injured.

"Bones!" She turned and saw him barreling toward her. The first thing she noticed was that his tux seemed to be soaked in blood.

"Booth!" she exclaimed. He reached her and pulled her into a tight hug. "You're hurt," she whimpered as he held her close. He shook his head and pulled away.

"Not me," he promised. "Chief of Staff Jameson was hit. This is his blood, not mine. I'm okay, Baby." He gave her a once over and began to panic when he saw marks and spots of blood on her face and arms. "God, Bones, you're bleeding." He put a tender hand to the only bleeding wound he could see, just above her temple. He knew she wasn't shot and seemed to be okay, but his heart still pounded in his chest. "What happened, Babe?" he asked gently. "Are you alright?" Brennan nodded.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "When I heard the shots I dropped to the ground. Some people stepped on me. But I got up, I'm fine." Realization spread across Booth's face.

"The baby," he said. "They didn't… step on your stomach did they?" Brennan shook her head.

"I don't think so." Booth gripped her arms, but loosened his hold on her to avoid aggravating her injuries.

"You don't _think _so?" he repeated, his eyes full of intensity. "Bones, you have to get checked out by a paramedic." Brennan was about to argue, but maternal instinct kicked in before her usual stubbornness. She only nodded and allowed Booth to lead her to an ambulance with a strong arm around her shoulders.

"There are some bruises beginning to form on her abdomen," the paramedic told them. Booth and Brennan exchanged a fearful look. "I don't think the baby is in any danger, but I want you to come to the hospital to have an ultrasound, just to be safe." Brennan nodded and Booth squeezed her hand. "Hop in the back," he instructed them.

"You want to take me in the ambulance?" Booth smiled. Her being confident enough to be her stubborn self eased his fears a little. "Don't you have to use that for other patients who are more severely injured?" The paramedic shook his head.

"No, Chief of Staff Jameson was the only gunshot victim, and the others barely have scrapes. You're priority because of the possible danger to your baby. Now hop in the back." Brennan didn't argue anymore and let Booth help her into the back of the ambulance. They sat on the bench in the back and linked hands. Brennan rested her head on Booth's shoulder and he brushed a kiss to the top of her head.

"She's going to be fine," he said with more confidence than he was actually feeling. Brennan nodded, for once not correcting him that they didn't know if the baby was going to be a boy or a girl.

**So there's the first chapter! I have big, big plans for our favorite dynamic duo in this one. I hope you keep with it!**


	2. Intentions

**Okay, I didn't expect to be posting again so soon, but I couldn't help myself! Major thanks to Sam for helping me iron out a few details! Enjoy!**

The ambulance arrived at the hospital and Booth walked Brennan in with his hand squeezing hers tightly. He whispered over and over that everything would be okay, which while well-intentioned, only served to make Brennan more nervous. Finally, they were called back and Brennan dressed in a hospital gown then lay down on the examining table. Booth scooted a chair up next to her and kissed her knuckles as the doctor prepared the ultrasound.

The grainy picture of their baby appeared on the screen and Booth let out a breath when he or she seemed to be moving around just like always. "Is he okay?" he asked in a hushed tone, still afraid to hear the answer. The doctor smiled reassuringly at him.

"As far as I can see, your little one is just fine," she said. Brennan smiled in relief. A whooshing sound filled the room and the couple smiled at the now familiar sound of their baby's heartbeat. "The heart rate is normal. Dr. Brennan, I want you to come back if you have any pain in your abdominal region or if anything else doesn't seem right. Other than that, you two are free to go."

Brennan dressed and she and Booth went to the floor Jameson was on to check on him. "Hacker!" Booth exclaimed when he spotted his boss sitting in the waiting room. Andrew stood up to meet him with a handshake. "How is he?"

"They think he'll be fine," Hacker answered. His eyes were on Brennan as he shook Booth's hand. "Tempe, are you okay?" he asked when he saw the cuts and bruises that adorned her forehead, arms, and legs.

"Yes, Andrew, I'm fine. What are the extent of Chief of Staff Jameson's injuries?" Hacker sighed and sat back down.

"It's pretty bad. He's lost a lot of blood and one of his lungs collapsed. He's in surgery now. I'll know more in a few hours." Booth nodded and put a comforting hand on his boss's shoulder.

"You'll call to update us?" he asked. Hacker looked up at him and nodded.

"Yeah. Booth? The Bureau owes you a huge debt of gratitude. Jameson wouldn't have made it if you weren't for you." Booth shook his head and gave Hacker's shoulder a squeeze.

"I was only doing what any agent would do."

"No," Hacker insisted. "You took action. You were the first one on the ground with him. Thank you." Booth nodded in acceptance and rejoined Brennan. She linked her arm in his and they walked out of the hospital together.

"You're feeling good, right?" Booth asked once they were en route home. "I mean, no pain in the belly area or anything like that?"

"Booth, calm down. We're both fine." Booth nodded, but a fear still gripped him. Any step away from absolute safety by Brennan and their unborn child was a step too far in his book. The thought of anything happening to Brennan or their little one shook him to the core. Brennan was already mentally preparing herself for a week of concerned questions and some good old fashioned Booth hovering.

"You know," Brennan began with a mischievous smile, "I saw the gender on the ultrasound." Booth gave her a wide-eyed look that made her laugh.

"You did?" She nodded, her grin only growing by the second. "Well, what is it, Bones?"

"Booth, watch the road!" she scolded with a chuckle. Booth glanced at the road, but quickly looked back at his girlfriend. "What would be the fun in telling you?" she asked teasingly. Booth frowned.

"Come on, Bones! That's not fair!" he complained. "Why won't you tell me?" Brennan shrugged.

"I feel like torturing you." Booth smiled. It still amazed him how much Brennan had changed in the last year. There were certainly things about her that would never change. She could still pull out the squint speak when she wanted to. But she was no longer adverse to kidding around and sometimes being downright irrational for a little fun.

"I'll get it out of you somehow," he promised. Brennan shook her head. Her cell rang and she glanced at the ID to see that it was Angela.

"Hi, Angela," she greeted.

"Sweetie!" Angela's voice was frantic. "Thank God! Jack and I heard on the news that there was a shooting at the FBI ball! Were you there? Are you and Booth okay?"

"Yes, we were there," she confirmed. "But Booth and I are unharmed."

"Are you sure?" Brennan sighed.

"Yes, Ange, I'm sure," she promised. "But thank you for calling to confirm our safety." There was an audible sigh of relief on the other end of the phone.

"God, Bren, I was so worried. I'll let Hodgins know that everything's fine. I'll see you tomorrow?" Brennan confirmed that she would and hung up the phone just as she and Booth pulled into their driveway.

"I'm gonna go change then have a nice, stiff drink," Booth announced when they walked through the front door. "Want to keep me company? Or are you tired?"

"I'll stay up with you for a while," Brennan replied, following him into their bedroom. They both dressed in their pajamas then went downstairs to the kitchen. Booth poured his drink and Brennan's glass of milk. He knew she would give him some lecture about how he was treating her like a child by making her drink milk, but she decided to let it go tonight.

The couple sat in silence for a while, contemplating what they went through tonight. Booth looked over at Brennan and saw that she was staring at her glass pretty intently. "What are you thinking about, Bones?" he prodded gently. Brennan looked up at him and shrugged.

"Nothing." Booth only gave her a look. She sighed. He wasn't going to let this go without an answer. "When I… when I couldn't find you…" She paused. Booth only continued to look at her. "I went back to where you were standing. I saw the blood on the floor and I was sure it was yours." She wiped away a tear that was threatening to escape.

"Bones," he said gently. He took her hand and pulled her onto his lap. She rested her forehead on his and just allowed herself to be in his arms for a moment.

"All I could think was that our child was never going to know you. That…" She had to stop herself from revealing the baby's gender, not quite ready to give up her little game yet. "That he or she would never know what a wonderful father they have."

"Shhh, Baby," he soothed. "I'm right here. I wasn't hurt."

"But what about next time, Booth?" she asked. The hormones were making her more emotional and her experience tonight affected her much more than it normally would have. "You can't guarantee that you won't be hurt or even killed the next time."

"Maybe not," Booth conceded. "But I can promise to do everything I can to make sure that we both stay here for a long, long time." He kissed Brennan softly and she gave him a tight hug around the neck. "Come on, let's go to bed."

"Goodnight, Bones," Booth whispered in her ear as they got ready for sleep a little later that night. "I love you."

"I love you too," she answered with sleep in her voice. Booth kissed her on the cheek then gathered her in his arms. He put a tender hand on her belly and began stroking it.

"Goodnight, baby… girl?" Brennan chuckled.

"Nice try, Booth," she said without opening her eyes.

**-BONES-**

The next morning, Booth awoke to find that Brennan wasn't in bed with him. "Bones?" he called, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. When there was no answer, he got up to investigate. He walked into the hall and saw that the door to the nursery was open. He walked in and spotted Brennan standing there in one of his old shirts, painting the walls. "Bones, what are you doing?" Brennan turned around and smiled at the image of him standing in the doorway in nothing but his boxers.

"I'm painting the nursery," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I can see that." Booth stepped further into the room. "But why? It's seven in the morning!"

"I woke up and I didn't want to disturb you since you had a little longer to sleep. So I decided to paint."

"I have to go to work," he told her.

"Okay." Booth walked up to her and gave her a peck on the lips. He touched the paintbrush she was holding and wiped some of the green paint on her nose. She crinkled her nose and he laughed.

"Love you," he said and Brennan smeared some paint on his nose in return. She gave him another kiss.

"Love you too," she replied. Booth gave her a smile and walked out of the room.

Brennan continued painting for another hour or so before her cell phone went off. She grabbed it just before it went to voicemail and answered it without looking at who it was. "Brennan," she greeted.

"Tempe, this is Andrew," Hacker said. It was clear that he was exhausted.

"Andrew, is Jameson okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. I tried Booth's phone but he isn't answering. I was hoping you two could figure out who did this. I know you don't have a case right now. Technically, this will be official business. But really, it's more of a personal favor."

"I'm sure Booth will have no objections, and I'm happy to help in any capacity I can."

"Great," Andrew said, relieved. "The doctors recovered the bullet. It's from a Colt M1991A1. They're tracking down the specific gun now. I'll give the file to Booth as soon as I can get ahold of him."

"All right, I'll try him on his cell phone and fill him in." They said goodbye and Brennan hung up. She was about to dial Booth when her phone rang in her hand. She saw who it was and smiled. "I was just about to call you."

"Hey, Babe," Booth's voice answered. "Listen, don't worry, I'm fine, but uh… I was in a little fender bender on my way to work." Anxiety surged through Brennan's stomach.

"What? What happened? Are you sure you're okay?" she rattled off.

"Yeah, Bones, I'm sure. Not a scratch on me. But… my brakes went out." Brennan's brow furrowed. Why did this scenario sound so familiar to her? "Look, Bones, the mechanic says the brake lines were cut. He said this was deliberate." Brennan thought a second. A Colt M1991A1. The brake lines deliberately cut. Those two things coupled with the fact that the chances that last night and Booth's accident were unrelated were slim… "Bones, you still there?"

"Booth, I know who did this. That bullet wasn't meant for Chief of Staff Jameson. It was meant for you."

**I hope you liked it! Now we're going to get into what the description of this story promises. :P**


	3. Secrets

**Back again! I'm loving writing this one. Another shout out for Sam, just because she likes it when I give her shout outs. :P Enjoy!**

"Bones, what are you talking about?" Booth asked when Brennan told him that she knew who cut his brake lines.

"Where are you?" she asked, completely ignoring his question.

"I'm at the auto shop," Booth answered. "Bones, what do you mean you know who did this? How do you know the shots last night were for me?"

"Booth, we can talk about this later. Please just tell me where you are so I can pick you up." Booth sighed in defeat and told her. She quickly drove to his location and greeted him with a tight hug and a kiss. "Let's go." She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him toward the door.

"Hey, slow down a second, Bones!" he called after her and pulled his hand out of hers. "You can't just tell me that someone has tried to kill me twice in the last two days and not tell me who it is."

"Booth, I don't want to talk about this right now," she protested. "Just let me take you to work. I promise I'll explain everything later." Booth sensed that whatever she found out was really bothering her. He caressed her cheek lightly and Brennan leaned into his touch instinctively.

"What's going on?" he asked softly. Brennan shook her head and shifted away from his hand.

"I would really rather not discuss it right now. Please respect that." Booth nodded and followed her out of the body shop. "When will your car be fixed?" she asked once they were in the parking lot, desperate to change the subject.

"They'll have it in a couple days," Booth answered and opened the passenger door for her, only to see that she was already sitting in the driver's seat. "Hey!" he exclaimed playfully. Brennan smiled up at him as she put the keys in the ignition.

"My car, I get to drive." Booth pouted dramatically and sat in the passenger seat.

"Fine, but if we get a case in the next two days, I drive to the crime scene."

"We'll see about that." Booth smiled at her. At least she was joking around again. "You should be very careful," she warned, getting serious again. "The person who is responsible for this is unpredictable and has the potential to be very dangerous."

"Bones, who is it?" he asked again. "Can you just give me a name so I can nail him for attempted murder and put an end to all of this?" Brennan glanced at him and sighed.

"Daniel Rogers," she supplied. Booth saw her grip the steering wheel a little tighter.

"Daniel Rogers," he repeated. "Why does Mr. Rogers want me dead?" He chuckled at how absurd that sounded, but Brennan's eyes remained focused on the road. "Bones?"

"Please, Booth. Just leave it alone. I would rather not discuss it."

"You can tell me anything, Baby." Brennan faltered for a moment at the use of the intimate pet name, but ultimately held her ground.

"I know I can," she promised. "And I know that you have a right to know who is attempting to take your life, but I just _can't _right now." The two arrived at the Hoover building and Booth gave Brennan a lingering kiss.

"I'll just be a few hours," he told her. "I'll see if we can get a hit on Rogers' name." Brennan nodded.

"You'll be careful?" she asked with fear in her eyes.

"Always," Booth promised and gave her another kiss. Brennan watched him walk into the building and drove off as soon as he was out of sight.

Booth sat at his desk in front of his computer. He was determined to find anything he could on Daniel Rogers. He wasn't getting a lot, and he was starting to get discouraged. He wanted to get the guy for trying to kill him and almost killing Jameson, but more than that he wanted to know why he had such an effect on Brennan. If he had ever hurt her in the past, he'd be dead before he hit the ground. "Booth." He looked up to see Hacker in his office. "I've been told that you have a name for the shooter." Booth nodded. "That was fast."

"Yes, sir. His name is Daniel Rogers. I'm trying to locate him, but I'm not getting anywhere." Hacker walked further into the office.

"How did you ID him so quickly?"

"Bones told me his name," Booth answered. Hacker gave him a confused look.

"How did Tempe know his name?" Booth sighed. Any answer he had for that wasn't going to satisfy his boss.

"She wouldn't tell me."

"She wouldn't _tell _you?" Hacker repeated. "What the hell does that mean?" Booth thought a second about how to explain the conversation with Brennan, although he didn't fully understand it himself.

"The brakes in my car went out this morning," he decided to say. "I told Bones about it and she told me she knew who did it. She also told me that whoever shot Jameson last night was aiming for me. She wouldn't tell me how she knew. She just told me his name."

"She said the shooter was trying to hit you?" Booth nodded. "I don't understand." Booth laughed humorlessly.

"Yeah, join the club." He glanced at his computer for a second then looked back at Hacker. "But I trust Bones. If she says she knows who did it, then she knows. I'll talk to her about it. She just needs a little time." Hacker nodded.

"Okay," he conceded. "I'm going to call the hospital for an update on Jameson. Listen, if this guy is really after you he sounds like bad news. Be careful, alright?"

"Yes, sir," Booth promised. "I'm an expectant father; I'm not going to take any chances." Hacker gave him a half smile and left the office. Booth turned his attention back to his monitor. Finally, he had a hit on something. Twenty years ago, Daniel Rogers was charged with attempted murder. The weapon of choice was a Colt M1991A1. There was also a complaint filed against him accusing him of cutting the victim's brake lines. That charge didn't stick either, though. The victim was Gregory Sharper. A light bulb went off in Booth's head. He knew that name. He got up and walked over to his filing cabinet.

He quickly found the file he was looking for and returned to his desk. He knew he had this file because she trusted him with it. He promised himself he would never dig into her past without her permission. But this seemed to constitute an emergency. He opened Brennan's file to the desired page. His suspicions were confirmed. Gregory Sharper was one of her foster fathers. She lived with him for less than a year when she was seventeen. He was unmarried, but took in several foster children and had an exemplary record. Not one complaint was filed against him by any of his foster kids. Also listed as one of his foster children was a boy named Daniel Rogers. He and Brennan lived with him at the same time.

**-BONES-**

A few hours later, Brennan drove Booth home. She roped him into helping her paint the nursery, and he was currently begrudgingly painting the trim around the door purple. "Do you think a little boy would like this room?" he asked, fishing for an answer that would get Brennan to spill the beans about the gender.

"The colors were chosen specifically because they are socially considered to be unisex," she answered. She smiled to herself. He was trying everything in the book to get her to tell him. But she wasn't going to give up that easily. Booth sighed. Another attempt failed. There was a long pause.

"Hey, Bones?" Booth began gently. Brennan muttered a 'hm?' to let him know that she was listening. He tried to proceed delicately. "I looked into Daniel Rogers' background and uh…" He decided to just come out with it. "Why is your foster brother trying to kill me?" Brennan stopped painting and turned to face him.

"You shouldn't have done that," she said simply.

"Look, I'm sorry, Bones," Booth replied sincerely. "You know I would never invade your privacy but…"

"And yet you did!" Brennan cut him off. "For future reference, Seeley, me telling you that I don't want to talk about it is _not _permission to find out yourself!" Booth winced. She only called him by his given name when she was really pissed.

"I'm the one he's trying to kill!" he retorted. "I think I have a right to know who in the hell he is!"

"Yes, you do," Brennan agreed. "But I told you we could discuss it later! Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you! I just…"

"You just what?" Booth shook his head. "You just _what_, Booth?" Brennan demanded. Booth still didn't answer. "I would have told you when I was ready! Instead you go behind my back and invade my privacy! How can I ever trust you again?"

"Bones…" He sounded hurt. Wounded. _Good_, Brennan thought.

"What else do you know?" she demanded.

"Nothing," he promised. He reached out for her, but she sidestepped around him.

"I'm going out," she told him as she walked into the hallway and down the stairs. Booth followed on her heels.

"Where?" he asked as they reached the front door.

"_Out!"_ Brennan repeated and slammed the door behind her, leaving a hurt and guilty Booth behind.

**I have to admit, I do like writing their fights. :P Tell me what you thought, good or bad! Oh, and I'm having a hard time deciding whether the baby should be a boy or a girl. Leave a review telling me what you prefer, and whichever gets the most votes will win! I hope you liked it! **


	4. You Slipped

**The response I've gotten for this story has been amazing! The review/view ratio is a personal best and I want to thank all of you for taking the time to review! I love every one of them!**

Brennan sat in Limbo with her (size or two larger than usual) lab coat thrown on over Booth's old, paint-covered shirt and her old jeans. She studied the bones in front of her carefully, blocking out any other thoughts and letting her anger slip away slowly. She had been at it for about an hour when she looked up to find Booth walking toward her. She sighed and put down the bone. "Took you long enough to figure out where I was," she quipped. He approached her with a smile adorning his face.

"I knew where you were the second you walked out that door," he said. Brennan gave him a half smile and broke eye contact. "I just figured you could use some time to yourself." When she didn't look at him he put a gentle hand under her chin and tilted her head back toward him. "I'm sorry, Bones," he said sincerely. Brennan shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry. I was being unreasonable and irrational. Daniel is trying to kill you. It was only logical that you would want to know everything you could about him. It was a long time ago. I shouldn't be so emotional about it. I'll tell you everything if that's what you want." Booth shook his head and caressed Brennan's cheek.

"Only if it's what _you _want, Bones." Brennan smiled at the tenderness and honesty in his voice. "I would never ask you to talk about anything you didn't want to. But whenever you're ready, I'm here." Brennan took his hand in hers and squeezed.

"I know," she assured him. "And I will tell you. You have a right to know why he's doing this. Besides, it's highly unlikely that we'll get a conviction if I insist on being ridiculous, right?"

"Hey, hey," Booth pulled Brennan to her feet and put his arms around her waist. "You aren't being ridiculous, okay?"

"How do you know? I haven't even told you why it's difficult for me to talk about it." Booth tightened his grip on her and pulled her closer.

"That doesn't matter," he insisted. "Your feelings could never be ridiculous." Brennan looked in his eyes and saw such sincerity and love that it made her knees weak. She hugged him close and they both laughed when they felt a little kick between them.

"She's glad we've made up," Brennan joked. She looked up at Booth and saw that he was grinning like an idiot. There was also a sparkle in his eyes that wasn't there a second ago. "What?" she asked, unable to fight his contagious smile and sporting one of her own.

"You slipped," he teased. Brennan's eyes grew wide as she realized her mistake.

"No, I was just…" She struggled to find an excuse for her referring to the baby as a girl, but came up empty. Booth was still grinning from ear to ear as he knelt on the ground in front of her. He put his hands on her expanded middle and kissed it softly.

"Hey, Baby Girl," he cooed, making Brennan roll her eyes but smile down at him anyway. "I'm your daddy and I love you very much." He smiled when he felt her kick again.

"She's starving," Brennan translated jokingly. "And so is her mother. Now please stand up and take us to the diner." Booth stood and kissed Brennan soundly.

"Okay, I already know that there's no use arguing with my girls when they're hungry." He paused thoughtfully. "My girls," he repeated. "I like the sound of that." He draped an arm around Brennan's shoulder and led her out of bone storage.

On the way out they ran into Angela, who was balancing her 22-month-old son Chance on her hip. "Hey, you two!" she shouted across the lab. She met up with them and Chance smiled widely at the sight of his Auntie Brennan and Uncle Booth. He reached out for Booth and he gladly lifted the little boy above his head and blew a raspberry on his tummy. He giggled and Booth beamed. Brennan watched him and unconsciously put a hand to her belly.

"How's my little buddy?" Booth asked as he set the toddler on his hip. Chance ignored him and instead pointed toward Brennan's hand on her stomach.

"Baby?" he inquired and gave Booth a questioning look. He had been saying little else around Brennan since it was explained to him a few days before that there was a baby in Auntie Brennan's tummy.

"Yeah," Booth confirmed, "there's a little baby in there."

"Baby come out to play?" he said with a little pout. Booth laughed and gave Chance an exaggerated kiss on the cheek.

"Soon, buddy. Then you'll have a new little cousin to play with!" Booth and Brennan shared a look before focusing their attention on Angela. "So, Ange, we were just about to go get some lunch. You two want to join us?"

"I would if I could," Angela replied as she lifted Chance from Booth's arms. "But we're just waiting for Hodgins to finish up a report then we're going to an interview for a spot in some pre-school."

"Pre-school?" Booth repeated with a chuckle. "He's a little young for that, don't you think?"

"Right now, yeah," Angela agreed. "But apparently the waiting time for these places is like a million years. We're even cutting it a little close. He'll be starting pre-school in a year and we've just barely started looking at places."

"Seriously?" Booth asked with a quick glance over to Brennan.

"It's true, Booth," Brennan confirmed. "There is a very long waiting list for the most prestigious pre-schools in the DC area. Many parents start looking before their child is a year old." Booth shook his head in disbelief.

"Well that's just nuts. No ten month old kid of mine is going to be worrying about what school she's gonna get into. She's gonna be way too busy playing with her big brother and learning how to say 'Mama' and 'Dada.'" Brennan shot Booth a look.

"It's not as if she's going to be going through rigorous testing as a ten month old, Booth," she argued. "It's merely putting her on a list for a potential interview."

"Wait, Bones, you're actually thinking of putting our daughter on some kind of hoity-toity pre-school waiting list before she can even walk?"

"You act like I'm putting her in a high school calculus course. It's only ensuring that she has the best education we can give her!" Chance's big blue eyes went from one partner to the other as they bickered. He glanced up at his mother with an expression that made her laugh.

"Don't worry, Sweetie," Angela told her son with a smile. "They always do this." Angela watched her friends and shook her head. Some things never change. "I'll just let you two…" Booth and Brennan continued to go back and forth without so much as a glance toward Angela. "Yeah." Angela turned on her heels and walked back to her office, leaving the oblivious couple behind.

**-BONES-**

_ "Just do it, Temperance," the boy's gruff voice growled as he held the gun on her. Brennan faltered and took a step back from her foster brother._

_ "No, Daniel," she said with defiance. "I won't help you vandalize Greg's car. I don't care what you do to me. He's done nothing wrong."_

_ "He's trying to keep us apart," Daniel said in a tone that sent a shiver up Brennan's spine. "I love you, Tempe. You know that. If you do this, we won't have to worry about him anymore. We can be together. Do this for us." 'Do this for us.' They were similar to the words she would hear many years later, just before her partner and best friend took a bullet that was meant for her. Brennan stood still for a moment, and then dropped the wire cutters on the grass. "That was a mistake," Daniel said. He picked up the tool and handed it back to her. He pressed the gun to her temple and shoved her toward the car. "Now do it." Trembling and with hot tears streaming down her face, Brennan cut the wires Daniel had pointed out earlier._

_ "Temperance?" Gregory Sharper's voice carried across his front lawn. "Temperance, are you out here?" He stepped into view and his eyes widened in shock and fear for his foster daughter. "Daniel? What are you doing here?"_

_ Daniel whipped around and fired three shots. Brennan watched in horror as her foster father, the only one who ever truly cared for her since her parents disappeared, crumpled to the ground…_

"No!" She sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for breath. Booth stirred next to her and rolled over to face her.

"Bones?" he called her name softly and brought a hand up to rub her back. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" She looked down at him and attempted to regain control of her breathing.

"It's nothing," she said, although her voice cracked slightly. Booth sat up and pulled her close to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and he gave her a kiss on the temple. The same temple that she swore still felt like it had cold steel pressed against it.

"Nightmare?" Booth ventured a guess. Brennan nodded and snuggled closer to him. "It's okay, Baby," he promised as he lay them both back down. "I'm right here. Nothing can get you while I'm here."

"I'm worried about someone getting _you_," she muttered so low that Booth barely heard her.

"Hey," he soothed gently. "I'm gonna be okay. Some punk isn't going to get me that easy, okay? I'm not leaving you, Temperance. Not ever." Brennan smiled at the use of her given name and placed a hand over Booth's chest to feel his heartbeat.

"Booth?" she said his name quietly and thick with emotion. Booth placed his hand over hers on his chest and squeezed it to reassure her.

"Yeah, Bones?" he replied as he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckled tenderly.

"I'm ready to tell you… everything."

**Another chapter down! The vote was unanimous for a girl. I figured it might be, but I was seriously considering making it a boy just to be different. :P But I'm glad all of you gave me your input! Ask and ye shall receive, it's a girl!**

**So, what did you think? Let me know! Especially about the nightmare. I wanted to get that right. See all you wonderful readers next time!**


	5. I Love You, Temperance

**Back again! I don't have much to say this time except that I am eternally grateful to Sam. She's been my entertainment and my muse. She's also done a pretty bang-up job of putting up with me while I write this. :P Enjoy!**

"You have to promise me something before I say anything, Booth," Brennan said as she looked Booth in the eyes. His arms were draped over her waist and there wasn't an inch of space between the two of them.

"Anything, Bones," Booth replied automatically.

"Promise me that you won't do something stupid after I tell you this," she pleaded, her eyes boring into his. Booth nodded after a second's pause. "I mean it, Booth. You might not believe me, but Daniel is a dangerous man. I don't want you doing something foolish and end up getting yourself killed. Promise me you won't storm out of here by yourself looking for him. Promise." Booth nodded again and moved his hand up and down Brennan's side.

"I promise," he told her. Brennan took a deep breath and broke eye contact with Booth. She felt him give her hip a reassuring squeeze and she looked back at him, some of her confidence restored.

"Gregory Sharper was my fourth foster family," she began calmly. "He was different than anyone before him. My first two foster families were apathetic. They agreed to feed and clothe me, but not to offer me friendship or comfort. The family just before Greg… was abusive." Booth's jaw muscles twitched as he clenched his teeth, but he remained quiet. "They are the ones who locked me in the car trunk. I was only with them for about six months before I was removed. I then went to live with Greg.

"When I got there, he was an experienced foster father. Many children had spent time under his roof, and my social worker assured me that he was among the best. He was kind to me. He asked me questions and seemed genuinely interested in the answers. About two months after I moved in, he welcomed another foster child."

"Daniel," Booth finished the thought. Brennan nodded and Booth gave her kiss when he noticed her confidence starting to slip.

"He was a year younger than me, sixteen. At first he was just like any other foster sibling. He kept his distance and I kept mine. We very rarely interacted when it wasn't absolutely necessary. Then he began speaking to me more often. He would compliment me and tell me how beautiful I was." Brennan saw Booth's eyes narrow. "His comments became more and more inappropriate until…" She trailed off.

"It's okay, Bones," Booth said. "Nothing, and I mean nothing, you're going to say is going to make me love you any less." Nothing could be worse than what he was imagining, he thought. Brennan licked her lips anxiously and scooted a little closer to Booth.

"One night, Greg went out on a date. Daniel and I were home alone and he was sitting uncomfortably close to me on the couch. He attempted to kiss me, and I was startled so I pushed him away. He reacted by… pinning me down with his knees on my legs and his hands on my arms so I couldn't get him off of me. He started kissing me and he trapped me with his body while he… ran his hand up my leg and under my skirt and…"

_God, you're beautiful… Don't fight me, it's okay… You know you want it… Just let it happen… You're gorgeous… I love you, Tempe…_

Tears that were threatening to fall since she began her story started flowing freely. "I tried to stop him, I did! I tried to stop him!" she wailed. Booth held her close and rocked her, running his fingers through her hair. His heart felt like it was going to burst from the pure anguish he was feeling for his partner.

"Shhh, Baby, I know you did," he whispered in her ear as he let her cry in his arms. She had a death grip on him and she inhaled his familiar scent and allowed the safety of his arms to calm her down.

"He was younger than me but he was larger," she said, still nestled in the crook of Booth's neck.

"I know," he soothed, rubbing comforting circles on her back. "You don't have to tell me more."

"No," she said with finality. "I… I want to." She pulled back from him, but they still held onto each other, each afraid that they would collapse if they didn't have the other's support right now. "Greg came home a few minutes later, and assumed that it was consensual. He told us it was not to happen again, because he could lose his right to be a foster parent if two of his charges were fraternizing sexually. The behavior continued, although I tried to explain to Daniel that I didn't want that kind of relationship with him. Greg must have noticed that I wasn't a willing participant, so he asked me privately about Daniel's behavior. I told him the truth and he reported Daniel to his social worker. He was eventually removed from the home for my safety."

"Bones…" Booth interrupted. Brennan met his gaze and waited for him to continue. "Did he ever… I mean he didn't…" Brennan shook her head and rubbed her hand up and down Booth's arm.

"No," she stated simply. Booth's expression didn't change. "I'm being honest, Booth. He never forced himself on me sexually. Not like that, anyway. I promise." Booth nodded.

"Okay." He wasn't sure if he actually believed her or if he had just chosen to.

"Although he no longer lived in the house, Daniel would still be there every morning when I went to school. He would tell me he loved me and that Greg kicked him out of the house because he was deliberately trying to separate us. He said Greg was jealous because he had me and Greg didn't. He said we would find a way to be together."

_I love you, Tempe… What did Greg tell you?... That's a lie… My social worker didn't take me out because of that… Greg is just jealous of what we have… He wants me out of the way so he can have you all to himself… Run away with me… We'll always be together, Beautiful…_

"I don't know why I never told Greg that he was coming around. I suppose he frightened me. Then one night, he broke in and forced me out of the house at gunpoint while Greg slept. He… he held the gun to my head and forced me to cut Greg's brake lines. He just kept telling me over and over that with Greg out of the way we could be together forever. Greg must have heard us, because he came out of the house looking for me. When Daniel saw him, he shot him three times."

_Tempe, wake up… Don't scream; it's only me… Don't you scream!... Come with me, I need you to do something… Just do this for me, Tempe… Do this for us… It's your fault this happened! If you had just run away with me, if you had just cut the fucking wires I wouldn't have had to shoot him! It's all your fault!..._

"Baby, I'm sorry," Booth said softly, a tear of his own trailing down his cheek. "I'm sorry that happened to you." Brennan reached up and wiped his tear away with a small smile.

"It's really okay," she assured him. "As I said this afternoon, it was a long time ago. And Greg lived." Booth opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. Brennan looked at him skeptically. "What?"

"Nothing," he replied quickly. "It's just… in your file… I saw that the attempted murder charges were dropped. So were the charges for cutting his brake lines. Why?" Brennan shrugged.

"The attempted murder charges were dropped because they had no physical evidence. The gun was Greg's. Greg took Daniel to the shooting range to teach him how to wield that very weapon, so any fingerprints of his found on it were useless. As for the brake lines… technically I did that. Only my fingerprints were on the wire cutters. Logically, anyone could have broken in, stolen his gun, and shot him. I was a troubled foster child. I could have cut the brake lines of my own accord."

"Yeah, but… but you and Greg both said he did it, right?" Booth implored. The thought of this kid getting away with what he did made him literally shake with anger.

"Of course we did," Brennan confirmed. "But two people who both had strong negative feelings toward Daniel could be conspiring against him or simply be confused. You should know that. Witness testimony isn't enough." Booth shook his head.

"Who's the idiot judge who made that decision?" he asked through gritted teeth. Brennan couldn't help but smile a little at his overprotective nature.

"I don't remember, Booth."

"So he's coming after me because we're together now," Booth concluded. "He's been obsessed with you for twenty years. We're in the public eye; it wouldn't be hard to find out that we're a couple. Somewhere in the back of his mind he still thinks that he's in love with you. That you're in love with him. He wants you for himself, and I'm in the way." Booth's brow wrinkled as a thought occurred to him. "That's why he used the exact same method to try to kill me. He wants you to know that it's him doing it. He has some sick idea that you'll come running to him." The baby began kicking against Booth's stomach and he allowed himself to smile for the first time since Brennan woke up in a cold sweat. He put a hand to the side of her abdomen. His expression darkened and he looked Brennan in the eyes. "What if he knows you're pregnant?" Brennan gave him a confused look. "Think about it, Bones. You having another man's baby? It would make him furious."

"I suppose that's logical," Brennan agreed.

"You're not going out alone anymore," Booth said. "And I don't care how much you argue. I'm gonna protect you and that baby girl whether you like it or not. You don't leave the house without me." Brennan chuckled despite herself.

"That sounds incredibly safe," she said sarcastically. "Being protected by a man whose life has been threatened twice in less than twenty-four hours."

"Okay, fine," Booth conceded. "Neither of us goes out without FBI protection. This baby is not going to lose her father and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let anything happen to you or our little girl."

"Fine," Brennan agreed.

"I'd give anything to change what happened to you," Booth said quietly after a moment. Brennan kissed his chest and rested her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her and rested his head on hers.

"I know you would," she told him. A silence fell over them as they both desperately tried to fall back asleep, but both were too anxious to drift off. Brennan could swear she could actually, physically feel the anger and hatred radiating from Booth. She looked at him and saw that he was staring intently at the ceiling. "Booth?"

"Yeah?" he replied, not taking his eyes off the fixed point.

"What do you think of the name Gabrielle?" Booth turned his head to look at her and the right corner of his mouth lifted into a half-smile.

"I kind of like Abigail," he answered with that familiar glint in his eye finally returning. Brennan smiled.

"You only say that because you looked up the meaning and saw that Abigail means 'joy of the father,'" she pointed out. Booth shrugged.

"Well, it's true! She's already my little pride and joy!" Brennan laughed and shook her head. The pair talked well into the night, their conversation not forgotten, but tucked safely away as sleep finally claimed them both.

**Phew, so this was just a big pile of exposition! I hope it wasn't too boring! Next time, hopefully we can start getting into some more action. **** Leave me a review telling me what you thought!**

**Oh, and the question of why Daniel isn't going after Booth until now WILL be addressed, never fear! :P**


	6. More than Meets the Eye

**As always, thanks to Sam for letting me bounce ideas off of her and for generally being extremely patient with me. Thank you for keeping me motivated!**

"Booth," Booth answered his phone at three in the morning a few days later. Brennan shifted slightly beside him but didn't wake up. He sat up straighter in bed at Hacker's words. "What? But… he was released yesterday. He was fine," he denied the news he had just received. "What happened?" he demanded to know. "Okay, thanks Hacker. Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye." Booth hung up the phone and rubbed a hand over his face. He turned to Brennan and kissed her lightly on the neck. "Bones, Baby, wake up," he said just above a whisper. Brennan groaned and slowly woke up as she felt him pressing kiss after kiss down her neck and shoulder.

"Booth, it's too early," she complained and shifted away from him. He chuckled despite himself.

"For that maybe," he agreed. "But that was Hacker on the phone. Babe, I have some bad news." Brennan noted the seriousness in her boyfriend's voice and rolled over to face him.

"What's wrong? What happened?" she asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Booth caressed Brennan's face with his hand tenderly, thinking of how close he came to being the one who was shot that night four days ago now. He couldn't imagine Brennan fielding this call had it been about him. As much as he complained about the FBI bodyguards he had hired to follow him around, this only put into perspective just why he was doing it.

"Chief of Staff Jameson was rushed back to the hospital a few hours ago," he explained. "The entrance wound was infected. He… he died about twenty minutes ago." Brennan broke eye contact. A million thoughts ran through her head in half a second, but one screamed above all the rest. _Thank goodness it's not Booth. _She pulled him close and reveled in the feeling of him wrapping his strong arms around her.

"How is Hacker doing?" she asked after a full minute of taking in his familiar touch. She felt him shrug against her and he nuzzled into her neck.

"Not too good. The two of them were pretty close, you know?" Brennan nodded and pulled Booth back when he tried to let go of her. She wasn't quite ready to lose the close proximity to him yet. "Hey, everything's okay," he promised when he noticed how tense she was.

"It's been four days, Booth," she said with an unstable voice. "He's planning something, I know it."

"Don't worry, Bones," Booth soothed. "I think I can take care of a nutjob like Daniel Rogers. The guy's a fruitcake and an idiot."

"Daniel was always exceptionally intelligent," Brennan countered. "In fact, there is a positive correlation between intelligence and mental instability. He was extremely cunning even as a sixteen year old boy."

"It's okay," he promised once again. "I have all my best guys on this. We are going to find him and he's not going to hurt me or you or anybody else. I promise." Although she knew Booth couldn't promise such things, Brennan was still put at ease. She snuggled up against him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I love you, Booth," she said, just grateful that she could still tell him such things. Booth pulled Brennan even closer, if that were possible.

"I love you more than you know, Temperance," he whispered into her ear as Brennan closed her eyes and focused on the sound of his heartbeat.

**-BONES-**

"Booth!" Booth looked up from his desk to see his one-time protégé, Charlie, in his office. "I've been looking at that file you gave me about the shooting and your car. Something just isn't adding up."

"What do you mean, Charlie?" Booth asked, his attention suddenly focused on the other agent. Charlie put the file on his desk and started jabbering excitedly.

"Okay, so here's the thing. According to the statement you made to the police on the night of the shooting, you were standing about two feet away from Jameson, right?" Booth felt a twinge of guilt at the fallen Chief of Staff's name.

"Yeah," Booth confirmed.

"Yeah, well, from what I found out about this Daniel Rogers guy, he's a really good shot. He has some membership to a shooting range just outside of DC and he's like a legend around the place. From what I understand, he's almost as good a shot as you."

"Yeah, what's your point?" Booth asked impatiently.

"The point is, there's no way he missed by mistake. Okay, yeah, the ballroom was crowded, but he hit Jameson on the right side of his chest. You were standing on his left. If he was aiming for you, he would have hit you. On the off chance that he missed, it would've hit Jameson's left shoulder at the _most_. But it went right through his right lung. That doesn't make any sense."

"So, what are you telling me?" Booth implored. "That this guy isn't trying to kill me?" Charlie shrugged.

"There's the cutting your brake lines thing too," he continued. "That's a pretty stupid way to kill someone. Crashes caused by faulty brakes don't normally result in fatalities. Not enough for it to be a fool-proof way of getting rid of someone."

"No, Bones and I already figured that one out. He's trying to kill me the same way he tried to kill their foster father twenty years ago, because he wants Bones to know that it's him trying to kill me." Charlie nodded.

"Yeah, that's probably true," he conceded. "But maybe you should think about the possibility that there's a little more going on here."

**-BONES-**

"Charlie brought up a couple of interesting points today," Booth said as he and Brennan ate lunch at the diner. "He says that Daniel might not be trying to kill me."

"What?" Brennan asked, confused. "Of course he is. What else could he possibly be trying to do?"

"I have no idea," Booth admitted. "Neither did Charlie. But I have to admit, he made a lot of sense. Daniel was a pretty good shot when you knew him, right?"

"Yes," Brennan agreed. "Greg would take him out shooting and would often comment on how adept he was at the skill. He practiced often and became quite good at it. He even won some shooting awards while he was living with Greg and me." She reached over and stole a fry from Booth's plate.

"Do you think he'd miss the mark he was aiming for by almost three feet? Even in a crowded ballroom?" Booth asked. Brennan thought a moment and shook her head.

"No, he was extremely accurate… Oh, I see what you're saying. You're saying that Daniel was not in actuality aiming for you." Booth nodded.

"Yeah, and Charlie said something about the brake lines too. We figured that it was because he was letting you know that he was the one behind all this, but when you try to kill someone you don't usually cut their brakes."

"Why?" Brennan asked, genuinely curious.

"Because it's not guaranteed to get results. A person can usually get the car under control enough to get in a minor accident, just like I did. And you ride in my car all the time. He couldn't have known that the next time it was driven that I would be alone. No, I'm with Charlie. None of this makes any sense."

"Then what is he trying to do?" Booth shook his head. That was the million dollar question.

"We can't say for sure that it's even Daniel doing all of this."

"No, it's him," Brennan insisted. Booth reached across the table and took Brennan's hand in his. He traced soft circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Bones, the gun was stolen from someone who has no connection to Daniel. There's absolutely no evidence connecting him to the shooting or to my brakes getting cut." Booth couldn't help but notice that there had been a role reversal of sorts over the course of this conversation.

"It's _him_, Booth!" Brennan practically shouted. "A Colt M1991A1 and your brakes being deliberately cut? It's too much of a coincidence. You're the one who told me that there are no coincidences in a murder investigation. Which, by the way, is exactly what this is now that Jameson has died. We owe it to him to make Daniel pay for what he has done."

"We owe it to Jameson to find out the truth," Booth countered. That made Brennan stop. She squeezed Booth's hand and looked him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "You're right. We should focus only on the facts and not let whatever emotions we have cloud our judgment. Not matter how intense or uncomfortable those emotions may be."

"Bones," Booth began apologetically. Brennan cut him off.

"No, Booth, you're right." Brennan winced a little in pain and shifted in her seat, but quickly masked it. It wasn't lost on Booth, however.

"What was that?" he asked with concern. "Bones? What was that?" Brennan shook her head vigorously. "Baby, tell me," he said softly yet forcefully.

"It's just a cramp, Booth," she said calmly once the pain subsided. "Probably just indigestion. We had a large dinner last night. It's nothing to worry about."

"Do you think you should go to the doctor anyway, just to be sure? You've been really stressed lately. That can't be good for the baby," Booth suggested as gently as he possibly could.

"Booth," Brennan said in a warning tone. Her phone rang and she went to answer it. "Brennan," she greeted.

"It's nice to hear your voice, Tempe. Just thought I'd let you know that what I've done so far? It's child's play. If you don't want me to kill your precious Seeley Booth for real, you'll do exactly as I say." Brennan could swear that her heart stopped. She knew that voice. Any doubt that Daniel was involved was quickly erased. "Go to 16th street, downtown DC. There's an old abandoned building. I'll be waiting for you inside. Come alone. I'll know if you don't. If there's one person following you, Seeley Booth is dead. Do you understand?"

**Tell me what you thought! I would dearly love to hear from you!**


	7. Ambush

**This one was a huge pain to get exactly right, but I think it turned out pretty good in the end. I hope you don't think too much happens too fast! Let me know! As always, a huge thank you to Sam for being amazing. Enjoy!**

"Bones?" Booth said with concern as Brennan hung up her phone. "Bones, what's wrong? What was that about?" Brennan looked up at him and held his eyes for less than a second before rocketing out of her chair and bolting for the door. Booth was right behind her and caught her just before she got to the car.

"Give me the keys!" she shouted as Booth spun her around.

"Bones, what's wrong?" he asked again with a firm grip on her shoulders. "What happened, Baby?" Brennan shook her head vigorously and wrestled out of his grip.

"Just give me the keys, Booth!" she demanded again, tears beginning to spill out of her eyes.

"I'll drive you, okay? Wherever you have to go, I'll drive you! What was that call about? Please just tell me, Babe. Did something happen to Max? Or Russ?" Booth took his keys out of his pocket and was about to walk to the car when Brennan grabbed his arm.

"I can't let him kill you!" she yelled before forcibly taking the keys from his grip and running as fast as her pregnant belly would let her toward the car.

"Wait, Bones! That was Daniel on the phone? What did he say?" Booth pulled open the passenger side door with the intention of riding with her.

"No, Booth! Get away from the car! He said I had to go alone!" Booth shook his head and sat in the passenger seat. "No! Get out!"

"Hey, hey, Bones," Booth attempted to calm her down. "Can we just talk about this for a second?"

"No! He won't give me much time! If I don't show up he'll kill you!" Booth took her hand in his and squeezed.

"Bones, breathe a second for me, okay?" Brennan finally allowed herself to relax a little and took a deep breath. "Okay, what did he say exactly?"

"He told me to meet him and to come alone. If I don't come by myself he's going to kill you. He said that what he's done so far is child's play and if I wanted you to stay alive I had to meet him." Booth nodded, grateful that they were at least getting somewhere now.

"Where, Baby?" he asked gently. "Where are you meeting him?"

"No, I can't tell you. Then you'll send some team of agents to follow me and he'll know and… and I can't lose you, Booth. I can't." Booth sighed and rested his forehead on hers. "Please, Booth. Just let me do this. I can't let anything happen to you."

"I can't let anything happen to you either," Booth answered just above a whisper. "I won't let anything happen to you," he promised. "Just tell me where you're meeting him."

"16th street," Brennan relented. "An abandoned building on 16th street." Brennan looked at him with such an intense look of fear that it nearly snapped his heart in two.

"I'm gonna make a compromise with you, okay?" he said as he fought to keep control. Brennan didn't say anything. "I'll…" He could hardly get the words out. "I'll let you go. But the agents follow you." Brennan was about to protest, but Booth put a finger to her lips. "Our guys are good, Bones. They won't be detected."

"Okay," Brennan conceded.

Booth took out his cell and dialed the leader of the team hired to protect the two of them. "Hey, Will. Yeah, listen, Bones is gonna be driving somewhere. You guys need to follow her, but you're not to be detected, you got it? Okay, thanks." He glanced back to Brennan and gave her a reassuring smile. "Okay, Will, she's gonna be meeting Rogers in an abandoned building on 16th street. Do whatever you have to in order to get him in custody and Bones out safe."

"She's meeting Rogers?" Will repeated. "Why?"

"She got a call from him," Booth explained calmly. "He threatened to kill me if she didn't come alone. This is… this is the best way to get him and end this. I'm putting her life in your hands, Will."

"I understand, Sir," Will replied. "We won't be detected and Dr. Brennan's safety will be our top priority. We'll end this. Booth, I think you should go back to the Hoover. You'll be safest there." Booth thanked him and hung up, then turned his attention back to Brennan.

"I love you," he told her as tears brimmed in his eyes.

"I love you," she answered and gave him a long, soft kiss. "Be careful." Booth laughed quietly and gave her another kiss.

"I'm letting you walk into an ambush," he reminded her. "_You_ be careful." Booth touched her face and forced himself to leave the car before his emotions took over. Brennan watched him get into an agent's car in her rearview mirror before starting the engine.

Booth watched her drive away with his heart in his throat. He made the agent wait until she was out of sight before allowing him to drive him back to the Hoover. He immediately got on his cell and dialed the leader of his team. "Will, do you have a visual?" he asked when he picked up.

"Yeah, don't worry, Booth," Will assured his friend. "We won't be seen." Booth kept on the line until he had confirmation that Brennan was inside the building in question. "She's in, Booth. I have to go. I have to communicate with my team. We'll get her out safe." Will hung up, leaving Booth shaking with nervousness.

"I shouldn't have let her go," Booth said, more to himself than to the agent driving him. The agent gave him a sympathetic look.

"You made a judgment call," he reminded him. "She was hell-bent on going and I know Dr. Brennan well enough to know that she was going, with or without the FBI detail on her tail. You did the right thing." Booth gave the agent an appreciative smile and focused on the road. He was desperate to ignore the dread he was feeling that he had just sent the love of his life to her death.

The car arrived at the Hoover and Booth thanked the agent for driving him before walking into the building. He fought the urge to call Will, knowing that he was busy trying to keep Brennan alive. Taking deep breaths to attempt to keep himself calm, he boarded the elevator and rode up to his floor. He walked into his office and sighed heavily, throwing his jacket haphazardly over the chair. He sat in the chair and buried his head in his hands, regretting with every fiber of his being what he had allowed Brennan to do.

That's when he saw the flash and heard deafening boom, then felt absolutely nothing.

**-BONES-**

Brennan walked into the building, shaking a little with apprehension. "Tempe." The sound of his voice could still send a chill up her spine. He stepped into view and Brennan had to force herself to look at him. "I'm glad you came." Daniel's eyes traveled down to her midsection and his eyes widened. "You're pregnant." Brennan was by no means an expert on inflection, but he seemed genuinely surprised.

"Yes," Brennan answered, fearful of how he was going to react to the news. "What do you want?" she asked when Daniel didn't say anything. He took a few steps closer to her and began caressing her face with the back of his hand. Brennan fought the urge to shift away from him.

"Just to talk," he answered. "It's been such a long time. You look beautiful." Brennan swallowed hard and tried to ignore a fresh wave of pain in her abdomen. Daniel began kissing her neck and Brennan closed her eyes, fighting against the nausea that added to the pain.

"Why are you trying to kill Booth?" she asked, grasping for anything to take her mind off of what Daniel was surely planning to do to her.

"I'm not," was his simple answer. He began kissing down her chest and tracing his hand down her cleavage. Her face twisted in revulsion and she fought to keep her lunch down.

"You're not?" she repeated, trying desperately to keep her voice steady. Daniel shook his head and toyed with the hem of her blouse.

"I just wanted to see you," he answered. "I'm not interested in doing anything to Booth. I just wanted to…" He trailed off and pulled her blouse over her head. "Pregnancy suits you," he whispered. Brennan took a deep breath to calm her rolling stomach. "It's sexy, Tempe."

"If I let you do what you want to me…" She fought off another wave of nausea. "If I let you do this, will you leave Booth alone?" Daniel looked her in the eyes. She detected something in his face, but she wasn't sure what it was. Regret? Sorrow? Whatever it was, it wasn't pleasure.

"He's already dead," he said simply. Brennan's head moved back and forth, almost unperceptively.

"No," she breathed. "You're… you're lying."

"No, Tempe," Daniel said softly with a hint of emotion in his voice. "That was the deal. He's dead."

"What… what deal?" Brennan felt like the world was spinning. He couldn't be. Daniel was lying. Booth wasn't dead. He had just been with her. It was impossible. Daniel didn't answer her but instead kissed her forcefully on the mouth. Brennan was too shell shocked to resist.

"FBI, put your hands where I can see them!" Will's voice echoed through the empty building. Daniel pulled away from Brennan and made a break for it. Two agents made a move to chase him, but Will stopped them. "I have him!" he announced. "You all check on Dr. Brennan!" Will took off after Daniel as a stunned Brennan stared after him.

Another agent approached her and handed her the blouse. She pulled it on almost robotically. "Dr. Brennan? Are you alright?" She looked at the young agent, but didn't respond. "Get a medic in here!" he shouted to the few agents who remained.

"He said… he said that Booth was dead," Brennan said, her eyes not moving off their fixed point. "I need… I need to call Booth." She reached into her pocket and fumbled for her phone. She found it and placed it to her ear with a shaky hand. There was no answer and a sharp pain in her lower back nearly made her drop her phone. "I have to get to Booth," she said and started walking deliberately toward the door.

"Whoa there, not before you get checked out by the medics," an agent insisted. Brennan brushed him off and kept walking.

The agent's cell went off and he answered it while simultaneously stopping Brennan with a strong hand on her shoulder. "Agent Samuels… Yes, Will… Okay… Oh my God… Yes… Yes, I'll tell her… Goodbye, Sir." Samuels hung up and looked Brennan in the eyes, her arms wrapped around herself as if they were some type of shield. "Dr. Brennan, I'm afraid I have some bad news. Daniel Rogers evaded arrest. And… there was a localized explosion in Booth's office at the Hoover building."

"Booth?" was the only word her brain would allow her to say.

"As I understand it… He was in his office at the time of the explosion. At the moment he's missing and presumed dead." Brennan clutched her stomach as an intense pain washed over her, as if in reaction to the news. Samuels caught her just as she began to collapse.

"Get me that ambulance, now!" he shouted out the door as Brennan whimpered in pain and unimaginable grief.

**I'm sorry for being evil! Don't stop reading because of this, I promise it'll be worth it! Leave me a review! Tell me what you thought of the chapter, or even how much you hate me right now. :P Until next time!**


	8. Uncertainties

**The response to the last chapter was great! Thank you all so much! I hope you all like this next installment!**

Brennan sat in her hospital bed only half-listening as doctors told her what was going on with her and her baby. All she could think of was Booth, and the very vague information she was getting. There was an explosion in his office. No other rooms were affected, no other injuries or fatalities. He was buried under the rubble, and they couldn't confirm at this time if he was dead or alive.

"Do you want us to contact the father?" the doctor asked, pulling Brennan from her thoughts.

"He's…" Brennan didn't know how to respond to that. He's what? Dead? Missing? Buried? "He's unavailable right now." The door to her room opened and Brennan hoped one more time that it would be him. It wasn't. "Sweetie, are you okay?" Angela's voice was frantic as she rushed to her friend's bedside.

"They can't stop the contractions," Brennan answered without looking at Angela. "If they can't stop them soon I'll be delivering this baby at twenty-four weeks gestation. The chances of survival at that point are a little less than fifty percent."

"God, Bren, I'm sorry," said Angela, having no idea what to say to make Brennan feel better.

"Daniel evaded arrest," Brennan continued without acknowledging Angela's attempt at comfort. "He planted a bomb in Booth's office and it went off while he was inside. No one will tell me if he's okay. The chances that he's alive become slimmer and slimmer with each passing minute." Angela silently took Brennan's hand in hers and squeezed. Brennan made eye contact with her for the first time since she entered the room. "Will you get regular updates on the situation at the Hoover?"

"Of course," Angela responded immediately. "Booth is going to be okay."

"You can't know that." Angela hadn't seen Brennan like this in years. Her tone was distant and robotic. It was as if all of this wasn't affecting her at all. Brennan's eyes squeezed shut tightly as another contraction gripped her. She squeezed Angela's hand automatically as she breathed through it. "They're getting closer together." Her voice held the tiniest bit of fear, and that calmed Angela's nerves somewhat. At least she was feeling _something_.

"Your little guy or gal is going to be just fine," she promised with a reassuring smile. Brennan couldn't help but return it.

"That's right, we hadn't told you," she said with her usual pattern of speech returning with each word. "It's a girl." Angela beamed.

"Well your little _girl_ is going to be just fine," she amended. "How can she not? You're her mom after all, aren't you?" Brennan allowed herself to chuckle.

"Thanks for being here, Ange," she said with sincerity. "You really think Booth will be okay?"

"Sweetie, I know that man and he's going to fight with everything he has to get back to you and this little girl." Brennan nodded in acceptance of her logic and squeezed her hand again when another contraction hit.

**-BONES-**

An hour passed, and then another. Brennan was still sitting in the hospital with absolutely no news from the Hoover. Her family and friends had come in and out of her room, but the one person she truly needed was three feet under rubble and she couldn't even say if his heart was still beating. "Dr. Brennan, we haven't been able to stop the contractions," her doctor told her. _No kidding_, she thought. "You're about eight centimeters dilated, so I think we'll start pushing within the next hour."

"I'm only 24 weeks along," Brennan said, knowing that her doctor already knew that. The doctor nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I know, but you're in the right place. We have the best NICU unit in the country. Your baby girl is going to be in good hands." Brennan nodded and fought back tears once again.

Brennan looked up at Angela with an expression mixed with fear, grief, and anxiety. "Angela, will you stay with me? Will you be here when she's born?"

"Of course, Sweetie," Angela agreed. The doctor left the room, leaving the two friends alone. "Booth is going to be okay," she said for the hundredth time that day.

"There are health risks," Brennan said clinically, ignoring Angela's assurance. "She could be born deaf or blind. There's a risk of bleeding in the brain, ulcers, even severe cerebral palsy. There could be several long-term health problems."

"But maybe not," Angela countered. "You heard what she said. This is the best NICU unit in the country. She'll be perfect."

"There is a chance that she will be perfectly fine, especially considering the neonatal care available in this hospital," Brennan agreed cautiously. She looked Angela in the eyes and took a deep breath. "Can you see if there's anything new from the Hoover?"

"Sure," Angela promised and stepped out of the room. She met up with her husband in the waiting room and accepted the much-needed hug he was offering.

"How is she?" Hodgins asked as he traced soothing lines on Angela's back. She shrugged and held him tighter.

"They're going to be delivering the baby within the hour," she explained. "I really don't know if she's going to come out of this okay, Jack. If she loses Booth… If there's something seriously wrong with this baby girl and she has to go through it without him… I don't know."

"Dr. B is strong," Hodgins reminded her. "And so is Booth. Without a doubt they've passed the stubborn, rock of Gibraltar gene onto this kid, so all three of them are going to come out of this okay." Angela let go of him and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Well, Bren sent me out here to check on the situation at the Hoover, so…" She excused herself and put her cell to her ear. She talked to the officer in charge of the scene for a minute before thanking him and hanging up. She turned to back toward Hodgins, who was looking at her expectantly. "They're getting closer to where they think he is," she relayed. "But there's no answer when they call his name and they haven't detected any other signs of life."

"Oh, God." Hodgins pulled her close and began rocking her back and forth.

"I should go back in there. Go home, play with Chance. I'll call you when everything's over." Hodgins nodded in acceptance and gave Angela a kiss.

"I'll bring you a change of clothes tonight," he told her. "You probably don't want her to be alone overnight, right?" Angela smiled appreciatively and gave him another kiss.

"Thanks. I'll call you later. I love you."

"I love you too," Hodgins answered and made his way toward the elevators. With one final wave goodbye, Angela went back into Brennan's room.

"Baby's heart rate is good," the doctor was telling her. "She's a strong little one. It seems like she's in great shape. You have nothing to worry about, Dr. Brennan."

"There's plenty to worry about!" Brennan countered, in the middle of a doozy of a contraction. "Giving birth 13 weeks early isn't an ideal situation!"

"You're right," the doctor conceded. "But considering the circumstances, you're both doing incredibly well. We're almost there, Dr. Brennan. It's almost time to have a beautiful baby girl."

**-BONES-**

"I want Booth!" Brennan screamed as tears ran down her face and she pushed through another contraction. Angela squeezed her hand tight.

"I know," she told her in a soothing tone. She couldn't think of what else to say. She couldn't imagine being in Brennan's position. Her baby was being born too early and her boyfriend may or may not be dead. With one last effort from Brennan, the doctor held up the impossibly tiny baby girl.

"She's not crying," Brennan observed, fear beginning to choke her.

"No, but it's rare for premature babies born earlier than 30 weeks to cry right at first," the doctor explained as she focused on the small human being in front of her. "She's attempting to breathe on her own, which is remarkable for a baby born at 24 weeks."

"You did great, Sweetie," Angela encouraged her. "She's gorgeous." Brennan smiled and craned her neck to get a better look at her daughter.

"Baby Brennan, 1 pound, 8 ounces, 11 inches long," a nurse announced.

"No, Booth," Brennan corrected. "Her last name is Booth." She felt the sting of fresh tears in her eyes at the mention of his name and fought them back desperately.

"We're taking her down to NICU now," the nurse said and gathered the baby in her arms. "Once we get her settled and you recover a little you can come down to see her."

"Will that be tonight?" Brennan asked.

"Most likely," the nurse answered and carried the little girl out of the room. Brennan felt an intense desire to get out of the bed and follow them.

"She's okay, right?" she asked the doctor with tears in her eyes.

"The preliminary examination was very promising," she told her. "We'll know more in a couple of hours. You just rest now. You did a fabulous job, Mommy."

"Ange, will you call the Hoover again?" Brennan asked and looked up at her best friend.

"Of course," Angela answered. "You really did a great job, Sweetie. They'll both be fine, you'll see."

It was then that Brennan heard the door to her room fly open, and a very familiar voice shout "Bones!"

**I'm not sure how I feel about this one, so let me know what you think!**


	9. Evangeline

**The response to the last chapter was great! Thank you all so much! I hope you all like this next installment!**

Booth came to under the rubble that used to be his office. His head felt like it might explode and the deafening scraping sound wasn't helping matters. "Agent Booth!" It took him a moment to realize that "Agent Booth" was his name. "Agent Booth, can you hear us?"

"Yes," he attempted to yell back. His voice was weak and it barely came out as a whisper. He cleared his throat painfully and tried again. "Yes!"

"He's alive!" he heard the unfamiliar voice call. He heard some more muffled talking and he tried to clear his head. He couldn't for the life of him remember where in the hell he was. He tried running down what he did remember from that day. He woke up early because… because Hacker had called him at three in the morning to tell him that Jameson had died. Then… Charlie talked to him about Daniel and some stuff about the case he didn't think added up… Then he went to the diner with Bones for lunch… Then she got a phone call and…

It all came rushing back. Bones running from the diner and insisting that she had to meet Daniel alone. Reluctantly letting her go with Will and the agents following her. Coming back to the Hoover, and the blast. "Agent Booth, can you move?" The voice was yelling at him again. He tried out all of his limbs carefully.

"Yes!" he answered and winced when his throat protested painfully.

"Do you think you can get out?" Booth surveyed his immediate surroundings. He was buried under quite a bit of junk. He could see that his main obstacle was his desk, which was directly overhead. He reached his arm up and attempted to push on it only to have his arm twinge, causing him to yelp involuntarily.

"No! I think my arm is broken!" A thought suddenly occurred to him. He had sent Bones to meet with Daniel alone. He had no idea how long he had been under the rubble. Anything could have happened. "Will!" he shouted for the leader of his team.

"I'm here, Booth!" the familiar deep voice answered. Booth's heart rate quickened at the thought of the question he was about to ask.

"Bones!" That was all he needed to say. Will got the message.

"She's in the hospital," Will answered. Booth felt his throat constrict in absolute panic. "Rogers didn't hurt her," he qualified. "But… she went into early labor." Booth's breathing became shallow. _No, not the baby, please not the baby…_

"Is she... Are they…"

"I don't know, Booth," came the quick reply. "I've been in contact with an Angela Montenegro. The last I heard they were getting ready to deliver. That was almost two hours ago." Booth suddenly found ten times his normal strength and forcibly pushed his desk off of himself, broken arm and all. He cried out in pain but didn't stop. He could hear the rescue team scrambling to get to him, but he was almost too fast for them. He was nearly out when he felt strong arms on his, pulling him out of the wreckage.

When his feet hit solid ground, he didn't even pause. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him to the elevators. "Wait, Agent Booth! You need to be cleared by a medic!" He didn't stop to listen. He jammed the down button with his good hand and tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the doors to open. He disappeared into the elevator, leaving a very stunned rescue team behind.

He was already driving before he realized that he had no idea where he was going. He took out his cell and quickly dialed Will. "Booth, you should get back here!" Will shouted in his ear without pretense.

"What hospital?" Booth asked.

"Booth…"

"_What hospital?_" Will sighed.

"Georgetown." Booth hung up and pressed his foot down a little harder on the accelerator. He made it to the hospital in record time and sprinted to the first information desk he could find.

"Excuse me," he said to the receptionist, trying to be as polite and calm as possible. The girl behind the desk looked up at him.

"Emergency is around the corner," she said when she saw the state he was in. He shook his head fervently.

"I'm looking for maternity."

"Third floor." Booth was off and running yet again, making a beeline for the elevators. He rode them up with his heart threatening to jump right out of his chest. He approached another desk, this time much more impatiently. "I'm looking for Temperance Brennan." The man looked at his computer screen and back at Booth.

"You family?" Booth forced himself to take a breath to avoid clocking this guy one.

"I'm the father," he answered in a deliberately even tone.

"She's having a high risk delivery; I can't let just anyone go in there." Booth gripped the edge of the desk. How dare this kid think he was _just anyone _in this situation?

"Look, just tell me the room number. She needs to know that I'm here. If the doctor doesn't want me in there, fine. But I have to at least see her." The man gave him a once-over and finally gave in.

"322," he answered. He barely got it out before Booth was speed walking toward the line of doors behind him. He found the right one and burst into the room.

"Bones!" he exclaimed when he saw her.

Brennan automatically looked in reaction to her nickname, and her heart swelled at the sight of him. She couldn't quite believe her eyes. He looked disheveled and he was bleeding, but he was here. Alive. "Booth," she said in a breathy whisper, as if he would disappear if she said it too loudly. He was at her bedside in an instant, taking her free hand.

"Bones, Baby, did I miss it?" Brennan was still too deliriously happy and afraid that she was going to wake up to form actual words. Instead, she crushed her lips to his desperation. He gladly reciprocated and poured every bit of his fear into the kiss. When they finally parted Booth gazed into her eyes for a moment before talking. "Is our girl okay?"

"The doctor says that the preliminary tests are good," Brennan answered. She reached up and touched his face, just to make sure he was real. "We'll know more in two or three hours." She looked at his injuries for the first time since he came in. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Bones, I'm fine," he answered quickly. "That doesn't matter. What matters is if you're all right." Brennan nodded and threw her arms around his shoulders, clinging to him desperately. He tried to mask his whimpers of pain, but Brennan picked up on them right away.

"Booth, you should get checked out by a doctor." She smiled as a thought occurred to her. "You didn't even let the paramedics at the scene look at you, did you?"

"Are you kidding, Bones? And be away from you one second more than I had to?" Brennan shook her head but grinned anyway.

"My alpha male." Booth returned the smile and kissed her again.

"Are you okay, really?" he asked with his voice filled with such love that it made Brennan's stomach flip.

"I am now," she answered honestly. Brennan looked at Angela, suddenly remembering that she was in the room. "Angela was there when I delivered. She was a perfect coach, although I was emotionally distressed at the time." Booth rounded the bed and gave Angela a tight hug of gratitude.

"Thanks, Ange." He let go and looked back down at Brennan. "I'll never forgive myself for not being here," he said with tears choking up his voice.

"I think being involved in a bombing is a legitimate excuse," Brennan answered. She glanced at Booth's left arm and looked up at him with a worried expression. "Your arm is broken. Booth, you really need to be examined." Brennan's doctor re-entered the room and gave Booth a warm smile.

"Is this Dad?" she asked as she offered her hand to be shaken.

"Yes," Brennan answered, tears welling up in her eyes again at the thought of him standing here in one piece. "He's injured. He needs to be examined." The doctor nodded and led Booth out the door.

"Sure, follow me, Daddy," she said kindly. Booth protested at first, but at the insistence of all three women that Brennan would be okay, he relented and followed the doctor out.

**-BONES-**

"God, she's beautiful, Bones," Booth said in awe as he wheeled Brennan up to the tiny incubator containing their newborn daughter a few hours later. Brennan was too overcome with emotion to speak, and instead reached for Booth's good hand. He gladly gave it to her and held on tight. She was on a respirator and ]hooked up to all sorts of machines and monitors, but to her parents she still looked simply angelic. "When can we hold her?" Booth asked after quickly counting her tiny fingers and teeny toes in his head.

"Not for a few days. She's still considered to be in critical condition. When she's upgraded to stable condition we will be allowed to hold her." Booth nodded and knelt next to Brennan's wheelchair. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

"She looks just like you," Booth commented. "Beautiful."

"It's difficult to tell at this stage, but I believe she has a striking resemblance to you," Brennan countered. "I saw her for a moment right after she was born. She has quite a bit of hair, especially considering that she was extremely premature. It's very dark like yours." Booth beamed.

"Yeah? Hey, when will she open her eyes? I hope she has beautiful blue ones just like you." Brennan began moving her hand in a soft caress over his.

"Not for a while yet. Her eyes are fused shut at this gestational age. She'll open them in a month or so. Even then they'll be a pale blue for a few weeks before taking on their true color." There was a comfortable silence between the two for a few minutes as they watched their new baby girl in her first hours of life. "I've thought of a name for her," Brennan announced suddenly. "I hope that you will approve."

"Let's hear it, Bones."

"I want to name her Evangeline." She gauged Booth's face for any negative reaction and found none. "It's English in origin and means bringer of good news. I wanted to name her that because I found out you were alive only a few minutes after she was born. I know that she didn't literally bring me news of your safety, but…" She trailed off, embarrassed.

"That's beautiful, Bones," Booth said earnestly. "And it's an absolutely gorgeous name. We can call her Evi."

"Evi," Brennan tried the name out. "Evi Booth. I like it. You should give her a middle name."

"Would you be against Abigail?" he asked with a class-A charm smile. Brennan laughed and gave him a peck on the lips.

"Evangeline Abigail Booth. I actually quite like that." Booth grinned and gave her another kiss. "I'm very glad that you're okay, Booth."

"Ditto, Bones," he answered and looked at his baby girl. Yes, Evangeline Abigail was the perfect name for his perfect angel.

"You should go back to your room now," Brennan suggested ten minutes later. "Your doctor was not pleased that you were getting up in the first place."

"I wasn't going to miss meeting my baby!" he defended.

"I know. But you really should go back now. I'll be going back to my room as well." Booth looked from Brennan to Evi and back again.

"A few more minutes," he practically pleaded. Brennan looked at Evi and nodded. Booth took her hand in his and the two of them stole a look at each other. Brennan felt remarkably thankful to have him. In this moment and always.  
**  
I thought with all of the heart attacks I've been giving you guys lately, you could use a nice, fluffy chapter. :P **


	10. The Blame

**I loved, loved, loved the episode last week and I can't wait for tonight! We're on our way to eventually, baby! Anyway, it's been a while since I've posted! I thought all you lovely people deserved a new chapter, so here we go! Enjoy!**

**And as always, thank you to Sam for being amazing. She nagged me to finish this chapter finally and gave me some great ideas for it. I'm eternally grateful!**

"Am I doing it right?" Brennan asked nervously and she cradled Evangeline to her chest a few days later.

"You're doing perfect, Temperance," the nurse assured her. "This skin to skin contact is called kangaroo care. Studies have proven that this kind of contact with the mother and father fosters faster growth and development." Brennan was barely listening. She was gazing down at Evi who was making soft cooing noises in her arms. She was taken off the respirator the day before and she had just started crying and cooing. Booth watched in amazement as his girlfriend held their daughter in her arms, looking at her with such love that he thought his heart might burst.

"That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, Bones," he said with tears choking up his voice. Brennan smiled up at him and looked back down at the baby. They all sat in a comfortable silence for a while as Brennan whispered words just for her baby girl into her ear.

"Okay, Daddy, would you like a turn?" the nurse asked, breaking the silence. Booth looked down at his casted arm and then at his little girl.

"I… yes I want to hold her," he agreed. "But is it safe, with my arm and everything?" The nurse gave him a kind smile.

"Just as long as you're careful. And I'm sure you will be." Booth nodded and took off his shirt to allow for as much skin contact as possible with Evi. Brennan's eyes roamed his bare chest and she took in the many new injuries he had from the explosion. He had bruises and cuts that were just beginning to heal. She couldn't help but feel guilty about everything that had happened in the last four days.

The nurse took Evi from Brennan and carefully handed her to Booth. "There, perfect, hold her just like that," she praised. Booth smiled and looked down at the tiny baby in his arms. His breath was literally taken away by the amount of love he felt for her. He felt a twinge of fear at the thought that she wasn't meant to be here for another 12 weeks, but he already knew that she was a fighter like her mother. "I'll leave you alone for a little bit." The nurse excused herself from the room, leaving the new family alone.

"She's amazing," Booth said in awe. Brennan nodded in agreement. "I mean the doctors didn't think she'd be off her respirator for at least six days. And here she is, breathing on her own in three. She's definitely your daughter, Bones. Stubborn and determined to prove everybody wrong." Brennan chuckled.

"Booth?" she called his name cautiously.

"Yeah?" he said looking up from the baby at her with the most genuine smile Brennan had ever seen on him. She returned it for a second before it faded. Booth's brow wrinkled in concern. "Something wrong, Babe?"

"I… are you very disappointed in me?" she asked and broke eye contact with him.

"Disappointed in you?" he repeated incredulously. "No, Bones. Why would I be disappointed in you?" Brennan shrugged and stared intently at the floor.

"Because stress can be a contributing factor in preterm births. It's all my fault." Booth's heart broke for her, and he wished he could gather her in his arms and hug her close, but his arms were a little preoccupied at the moment.

"Hey, things like this just happen sometimes, okay? It's not your fault." Brennan looked up at him, but her pained expression didn't change. "God, Bones, how could you avoid stress the last couple of weeks? This is not your fault. It's Daniel's. No one else's." Brennan nodded but dropped her gaze from his once more. "Bones…"

"Booth." Her tone was a warning for him to drop it. He did, but he kept his eyes on her.

"What happened?" he asked quietly, not sure if it was a good idea.

"What do you mean what happened?" Brennan asked, genuinely confused. Booth looked down at Evi then back up at Brennan.

"When you went to meet with Daniel," he explained. "What… what happened? Did he… do anything to you?" Brennan shook her head.

"No, he didn't have any time. He took off my blouse and kissed me. It was unpleasant, but that's all." Even though Brennan was trying to put his mind at ease, Booth's blood still boiled at the thought of anyone touching Brennan when she didn't want them to. "He evaded arrest." Booth nodded.

"I know."

"So I did all of this for nothing. If I hadn't insisted on meeting him… you wouldn't have gone back to the Hoover. I would have been closer to the hospital. Evangeline might not have been born. They could have stopped the contractions if I had gotten here earlier. I…"

"Bones." Booth's heart was breaking. He had no idea what to do or what to say. "I would've gone back to the Hoover at some point today."

"No, no you wouldn't have," she countered. "We would have gone to the hospital because I was experiencing preterm labor. You would have been with me when Evangeline was born. That is, if the contractions couldn't have been stopped. You wouldn't be injured now or feeling guilty about missing our daughter's birth." Brennan sniffled. "I'm sorry, Booth. So, so sorry."

"Bones, you have nothing to be sorry for, okay? We both did our best today. Neither of us knew what was going to happen. We both did what we thought was right at the time." Brennan looked at Evi and smiled.

"She seems incredibly content when you hold her," she observed. Booth beamed.

"Yeah? I know she's here too early, but I'm so happy to meet her. She's breathtaking, just like I knew she would be. And Bones?" He waited until she was looking him in the eyes. "She's going to be fine." She nodded.

"I know she will be. She has an excellent team caring for her. And as you said, she's exceeding all of the expectations. If there are no further setbacks, she is well on the path to recovery."

"You see? Even science says that she's going to be okay. Not just my old, unreliable gut. Even though my gut is telling me that we have a lot of wonderful years with Evangeline Abigail Booth ahead of us." He looked down at the baby and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her little hat. "Thank you, Bones."

"For what?" Brennan asked. Booth considered her question for a second. For what? There were thousands, millions of things he was thankful to Temperance Brennan for.

"For giving her my name," he began. "We're not married, Bones. You could have put down Brennan-Booth or just Brennan. You didn't have to name her Booth." Brennan shrugged.

"I thought about putting down Brennan-Booth," she admitted. "But I didn't know if you were alive at the time. I wanted her to have a piece of you that was only you."

"So, is that the only reason, because…" Brennan sighed. He could find a way to feel guilty about anything.

"No," she said honestly. "I wouldn't change it now for anything. She is very lucky to carry the last name Booth." Booth's heart swelled again.

"I love you so much," he said with a hitch in his voice that made Brennan's stomach flip.

"I love you more than I can say, Booth." The nurse returned and Booth reluctantly gave Evi up to her. She got her settled the turned toward Booth.

"You have someone out in the waiting room," she told him. "I'll take Temperance back to her room." Booth looked at Brennan and she indicated that it was okay to go. He gave her a quick kiss before leaving the room.

Booth spotted Parker and Rebecca and made a beeline for them. "Parker!" he exclaimed and pulled his 12-year-old son into a hug.

"Is my little sister here?" he asked when they parted. Booth nodded with a wide smile spread across his face.

"She sure is."

"I thought she wasn't coming for a couple months."

"Yeah, well, she wasn't supposed to come yet. Sometimes babies are born early." Parker nodded in understanding.

"Is it bad when that happens?" he asked. Booth nodded slowly.

"It can be," he admitted. "But your little sister is doing great. I can ask the doctor if you can come see her, then we can go visit Bones, okay?"

"Are you okay, Seeley?" Rebecca asked. He knew she was hinting at the explosion. They had decided not to tell Parker about the bombing just yet. They felt like there was just too much to explain to him right now.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied honestly. "Thanks for bringing him down."

"No problem." Booth directed Parker by the shoulders toward the NICU. They got permission to sit with Evi for a few minutes.

"She's so tiny," Parker commented as he peered into the incubator. "Can I hold her, Dad?"

"Not yet," Booth answered.

"Have you held her?"

"Yes," Booth admitted. "But it's different for me and Bones. We're her mom and dad."

"Well I'm her big brother!" Parker retorted defiantly. Booth chuckled and clapped a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Soon, Bub," he promised. "You'll take care of her, right? She's gonna need her big brother to protect her. I can only do so much. I'm gonna need your help." He was only half-kidding. Parker nodded.

"I'll never let anyone hurt her, Dad."

"I know you won't, son." Booth noticed that the nurse was giving them a warning look. Evi had already had far too much stimulus today. "Come on, let's go visit Bones." The Booth men walked out of the NICU, only to be stopped by the receptionist.

"Mr. Booth, you have a phone call." Booth walked up to the desk. "He says it's official FBI business." Booth took the phone and put it up to his ear. He listened for all of two seconds before his eyes widened in shock.

"I… what? But how… Yes, sir. I understand, sir. Thank you, sir." He handed the phone back to the receptionist and walked back over to Parker. "Parker, I have to talk to Bones about something. Stay here for a minute, okay?" Parker nodded, knowing that his father was worked up about something.

Booth walked into Brennan's room. She was sitting up in bed, waiting for him. "Hey you," she said when she saw him. Her expression darkened when she saw that he was looking at her intently. "What is it, Booth? Is Evi okay?" Panic shot through her like a bullet.

"Evi's fine," Booth answered immediately to ease her fears. "I got a call." She waited patiently for him to continue. "They… they found Daniel… He's dead, Bones."

**I'm glad to be back writing this one! Tell me what ya thought!**


	11. Suspicious

"Dead?" Brennan repeated as if she wasn't sure she had heard Booth correctly. Booth nodded and stepped closer to her bed.

"Single gunshot wound to the head, gun found in his hand, the only prints on it belong to him." Brennan nodded in understanding.

"Suicide," she concluded.

"He was found just a few blocks from the building where you met him," Booth continued. "So he probably killed himself right after he ran from Will." Brennan's brow furrowed. "You're thinking the same thing I am, aren't you?"

"How could I possibly know what you're thinking?" Booth chuckled.

"Fair enough, Bones," he conceded. "I'm thinking that something's off here. Why run if you're just gonna off yourself? Why not just pull the trigger while he was standing there?"

"Then yes, we were thinking the same thing." Booth smiled and gave her a peck on the lips. "You should ask Will," she suggested. "He was the last person to see him alive if he did in fact die after he ran."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Booth agreed. "How about you? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Brennan replied honestly. "I should be discharged tomorrow if there are no unexpected setbacks."

"Great. Hey, Parker's waiting outside. He'd really like to see you. Are you feeling up to it?" Brennan grinned at the thought of her pseudo-stepson.

"I would enjoy that." Booth disappeared through the door and returned a minute later with Parker on his heels.

"Hi, Bones," the 13-year-old boy greeted with a smile to match his father's. "Are you hurt?" he asked cautiously as he approached her bedside.

"No, Parker," Brennan assured him. "I'm only being kept here for observation. I gave birth to your sister prematurely and the doctors are keeping me here for a few days to make certain that there is nothing wrong with me medically."

"And there's not?" Brennan shook her head and gave Parker's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"No, physically I'm very healthy." Booth noticed that she was throwing around qualifiers like 'physically' and 'medically' instead of just saying that she was fine. He figured now wasn't the best time to bring it up, but he definitely would be soon. Parker smiled in relief.

"I saw my little sister," he told her. "She's really, really small."

"Yes, I was only 24 weeks along in my pregnancy when she was born. She should be at the average size of her peers shortly after her second birthday."

"She's really cute, though," Parker qualified, worried that his comment had hurt Brennan's feelings in some way.

"Yes, I find her to be quite beautiful myself," Brennan agreed.

"Hey, Parks, why don't I take you to get a burger at the diner? Then I'll drop you off at your mom's," Booth suggested.

"Can I have a chocolate shake?" Parker asked enthusiastically.

"Sure. Why don't you go wait for me outside?" Parker shrugged and dutifully exited the room. Booth walked up to Brennan's bed and took her hand in his. "I'm gonna feed Parker and then talk to Will about what he saw, okay?" Brennan nodded. "I'll be right back," he promised. "You'll call if anything…"

"You know I will, Booth," Brennan interrupted him. "Take your time. I'll probably use the time to get some rest. I'm just… really tired today." Booth touched her cheek soothingly.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked gently.

"Yes, I'm fine," she insisted. "Go. I'm fine." Booth nodded and pulled his hand away. He leaned over and gave Brennan a long, sweet kiss.

"I love you," he told her as he met her eyes with his. There was a hint of a smile on Brennan's face when she responded.

"I love you too." With one more kiss, Booth turned and walked out of the hospital room. As soon as he was gone, Brennan let the tears fall that she didn't want him to see.

**-BONES-**

"Will!" Booth shouted across the hallway of the Hoover building when he spotted his old friend. Will turned at the sound of his name and pulled Booth into a quick hug.

"Hey, man!" he greeted Booth with a slap on the back. "How're Temperance and the baby?" Booth shrugged.

"Evi's doing great. I'm a little worried about Bones, though."

"Yeah?" Why's that?" Booth shook his head and rubbed a hand on his neck.

"She's got a lot on her mind." Will nodded in understanding. "Just with Evangeline and the bombing and everything. And now this whole thing with Daniel, it's just a lot to deal with."

"Well, all that affects you too," Will pointed out.

"Not like it affects her," Booth answered, thinking about everything Daniel had put Brennan through as a teenager. "Look, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. It looks like Daniel committed suicide right after he evaded arrest. Do you remember seeing anything? Hearing anything?" Will considered the question for a moment then shook his head slowly.

"No, sorry," he answered. "I ran after him but he just slipped past me. I didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. Why are you asking? This all seems pretty cut and dry to me."

"Something stinks," was Booth's simple reply. Will chuckled knowingly.

"You always did rely on your gut, Seeley." Booth laughed. "Hey, with everything that's happened I didn't really get a chance to thank you for setting me up with this job." Booth waved off his thanks.

"Hey, I needed to protect my girls," he said with a smile. "You're the best. There's no one else I'd rather have taking care of my family. Besides me," he added with a soft chuckle.

"It's just… after everything that happened…" Booth cut him off.

"Hey, how long have we known each other?" he questioned seriously.

"Closing in on twenty years." Booth nodded and took a step toward his old friend.

"Right, so I know that you're the best, okay? I wouldn't have anything less looking after Bones and my kids. Back in the Gulf there wasn't anyone else I'd rather have watching my back."

"Thanks, Seel," Will said appreciatively. Booth patted him affectionately on the shoulder. "I'll let you know if I remember anything about Daniel."

**-BONES-**

Booth walked back into Brennan's room and found her looking at a photograph with more scattered around her on the bed. "Bones, what are you doing?" Brennan looked up at him, startled. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya."

"You didn't scare me. You surprised me." Booth surveyed the pictures and documents strewn across her lap.

"What is all this?"

"The crime scene photos and x-rays from Daniel's apparent suicide," Brennan answered without looking up from her task.

"How'd you get ahold of those?" Booth took his now familiar seat next to her bed. She lifted her eyes to meet his and gave him a sly smile.

"I have my ways," she answered. Booth laughed.

"That you do, Bones," he agreed. "Have you found anything interesting?"

"Yes. I have reason to believe that this was a murder." Booth shot out of his chair.

"Whoa, a murder?" he repeated incredulously. Brennan nodded calmly. "What… what makes you say it was a murder?"

"The angle at which the bullet entered the skull barely makes sense. It would be possible to inflict the wound on oneself, but it would be incredibly difficult, and an extremely awkward way to hold the gun to shoot yourself in the head. Plus, the way his arm landed when he hit the ground doesn't make any sense. It wasn't held up like this…" She demonstrated holding a gun to her own head. "It looks like it was lying at his side, straight down, although I can't be certain."

"Well, that's good enough for me. I'll call it into the higher-ups." He paused. "Bones, you know who they're gonna suspect, right?"

"You?" Brennan said matter-of-factly, still examining her pictures and x-rays. Booth's eyes widened in shock.

"Me? You think I did this?" he questioned in a whisper. Brennan sighed and put the picture in her hand down in her lap.

"Of course I don't," she assured him. "But you have a very clear motive. You're a better suspect than anyone else."

"I was buried under my desk when he was killed," he pointed out. "Getting blown up in my own office is a pretty ironclad alibi." Brennan considered his words, then nodded.

"That's true. So who were you referring to?" Booth gave her a quizzical look. "Earlier, when you asked me who would be suspected in the murder. Who were you referring to?"

"Come on, who besides me would kill someone to get them out of your life?" It didn't take Brennan long to realize who he was talking about.

"My father." Neither of them talked for a moment.

"Do you know where he is?" Booth asked gently. Brennan shook her head, looking straight ahead at the door to her hospital room.

"No. I called him the day Evi was born and he said he'd be here this week to visit us. I suppose you can question him then." Pain for what Brennan was going through shot through Booth's heart and he took her hand in his.

"I'm so sorry, Babe," he told her and brought her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles. "Do you want to talk about… what's been going on the last few days?"

"I don't, Booth," Brennan answered curtly. "I really don't."

"Okay," Booth accepted rather reluctantly. Brennan looked up at him.

"But I would really like you to hold me. Will you do that for me?" Without another word, Booth lifted the corner of the thin blanket and slid into bed next to Brennan. He gathered her in his arms and rubbed soothing circles on her back as she finally released everything she had been feeling the last few days, pulling her tighter to his chest when he felt hot tears starting to dampen his shirt.

**I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think! Your reviews make me smile! :D**


	12. Words I Can't Say

**As always a big thank you to Sam. I miss you and I anxiously await your return. :P And thank you to all of you who leave me such kind reviews! Admittedly not a whole lot happens in this chapter, but next time we'll get into more of Daniel's murder and all that good stuff. For now, enjoy!**

Brennan was packing her things up to take home, having been officially discharged. She wasn't sure what the point of being discharged was, considering that she would still be spending all of her time at the hospital with Evangeline. For the same reason, she didn't understand why Booth was at home right now feverishly cleaning their apartment. He mentioned something about it being pristine so she wouldn't have to worry about it when she got home, and she had told him something about that being ridiculous since neither of them would be there very often. She had just zipped up her overnight bag when the door to her room opened. "Dad," she said in surprise as Max stepped inside.

"Hi, Sweetheart," Max greeted her with a smile. He walked up to her and pulled her into a tight hug. "How are you? How's the baby?" Brennan stepped backwards out of the hug and shrugged.

"Evangeline is doing well," she told him, purposely not mentioning how _she _was doing. Max smiled.

"That's a beautiful name," he commented. "Evangeline." A long moment passed where neither of them spoke. "So, where's Booth? I gotta kick his ass for still not making an honest woman out of you," he teased. Brennan rolled her eyes.

"I've told you a hundred times, Dad. Booth and I have both decided that we don't need our relationship to be legally recognized for it to be just as meaningful." Brennan paused for a second and Max grinned at her. "He's at home."

"At home? You're being discharged and Prince Charming is parked in front of the TV?" Brennan shook her head.

"No, he's coming to pick me up any minute. He wanted to clean the apartment before I got there. I have no idea why." Max nodded in approval of his pseudo-son-in-law.

"So, can I see this new granddaughter of mine?" Brennan nodded and led Max out of her room and down the hall to the NICU. She walked him up to the incubator that held Evi, sleeping soundly. "Am I allowed to hold her?" Max asked after gazing at her for a minute.

"No," Brennan answered matter-of-factly. "She's not strong enough yet. Even Booth and I are only allowed to hold her ten minutes a day." Max gave his daughter a sympathetic look.

"That must be hard." Brennan didn't answer him. "She's beautiful. Three granddaughters and one grandson. Sounds perfect to me." Brennan gave him a confused look.

"A grandson? Since when do you have a grandson?" Max smiled at her.

"Parker," he answered simply. Brennan beamed.

"Booth would be very happy to hear that you think of Parker that way." Another awkward moment went by and Brennan finally addressed the elephant in the room. "Dad, there's something I need to talk to you about. I…" Brennan trailed off. Her father knew virtually nothing of her time in foster care, and she didn't know how to tell him that she had gone through some terrible things after he left her. He especially didn't know what she went through with Daniel and the foster family just before Greg. She had no idea where to begin. Nor was she completely sure she wanted to. "Do you know a man named Daniel Rogers?" she decided to say. Max shook his head.

"No, should I?"

"You're being honest with me, right? Because that man is dead and if you killed him…" Max cut his daughter off.

"Whoa, why do you think I killed this guy? Was he after you or something? You think I found out and killed him to keep him away from you?" Max's voice was incredulous and Brennan chuckled softly.

"It wouldn't be the first time," she quipped. "Dad, where were you last Thursday?"

"Thursday? That was the day Evangeline was born, wasn't it?" Brennan nodded. Max took a few steps toward her, his temper flaring. "Is it his fault, this Daniel guy?" he asked in a darkened tone. "Is he the reason you had her early? Because if he is…"

"Then what?" she asked with a small laugh. "He's already dead. Dad, just tell me. Did you kill him?"

"No," Max answered honestly. "I never heard the guy's name before in my life." Brennan studied his face for a moment.

"I believe you," she decided. Just then, the door swung open and Booth stepped in.

"Okay, Bones, we are ready to go!" he announced cheerfully. He noticed his pseudo father-in-law and gave him a friendly smile. "Hey, Max!" He took the older man's extended hand and shook it vigorously.

"Hi, Booth," Max greeted. "I saw that gorgeous girl of yours. You better keep an eye on the boys." Booth chuckled and patted Max affectionately on the shoulder.

"You know I will," he replied. Max laughed knowingly. "So, Bones, I was thinking that we could sit with Evi for a while and then head home for a quiet dinner." He slipped a hand around Brennan's waist and pulled her close.

"Okay," she agreed and wrapped an arm around him in return. "Dad, you are more than welcome to join us." Max caught the look of dismay on Booth's face and suppressed his grin.

"No, I gotta get going," he lied. "But I'll stop by later, okay?" Brennan shrugged.

"Okay." Max gave her a tight hug. "I love you, Dad." She pulled out of the hug and looked him directly in the eyes. "And I do believe you."

"I know," Max promised. "And I love you too, Honey." With that, Max left the hospital room.

"So," Booth began when the door closed behind him. "What do you say we go say hi to our girl, huh?" Placing his hand on the small of Brennan's back, Booth guided her to the NICU.

Half an hour later, the couple was driving home. Booth noticed that Brennan was staring out the window with a distant expression on her face and he reached out to caress her shoulder. "You okay, Bones?" he asked. She shrugged without turning toward him. "We can go back if you want," he suggested. Brennan didn't respond. "It's okay to want to be with your baby," he assured her. "It was hard for me to leave her there too. We can go back. It's really okay."

"Evi's fine," Brennan finally answered. Booth smiled knowingly and glanced at her before focusing on the road once more.

"That's not the same as you being fine," he pointed out. Brennan looked at him for the first time since entering the car.

"I think getting out of the hospital for a few hours will be good for both of us," she concluded. "And it's not just Evangeline. It's… Max."

"You asked him about Daniel." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes," Brennan confirmed. "He says he's never heard of him and I believe him. That's not the issue." Booth waited patiently for her to continue. "The issue is that I couldn't tell him who he was. My father doesn't know anything about my time in foster care, and I found that I was simply incapable of telling him who Daniel was and what he had done to me."

"Well, that's understandable, Bones," Booth told her honestly. Brennan gave him a quizzical look.

"Why?" she inquired, genuinely curious. Booth glanced at her quickly.

"Because you don't want to make him feel guilty. You don't want him to feel like it's his fault that those things happened to you." Brennan's brow furrowed.

"But it is his fault," she pointed out matter-of-factly. "Not directly, but indirectly it most certainly is his fault."

"That doesn't mean you want him to feel like it is." Brennan considered his words in silence for the rest of the ride home.

Booth unlocked their front door and stepped aside to let Brennan walk through first. "Home again, home again, jiggity jig," he said lightly as he closed the door behind himself and put Brennan's overnight bag on the couch. Brennan looked at the large box on the living room floor and sighed. It was the unopened crib they had just purchased for Evi a few days before she was born.

"There's so much we haven't prepared yet," she said anxiously. "Angela hasn't finished decorating the nursery. We don't have any of the supplies we'll need. Diapers, bottles…" Booth walked up to Brennan and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

"We've got time," he promised.

"Yes," she agreed. "We have time because our daughter was thirteen weeks premature and will be in the hospital for at least another two months." Booth, at a loss for how to comfort her, kissed her on the temple and released her.

"She's strong. She'll be home soon." Brennan ignored him and walked into the kitchen. She stared at the table quizzically. It was draped in a white tablecloth and two candles were placed in the center. Two places were set and a bouquet of flowers sat between the candles.

"Booth…" she began accusingly. Booth appeared behind her, feigning innocence. She glanced at him and couldn't hide her smile. "Neither of us is in any condition for sexual intercourse." Booth chuckled.

"Wow, way to ruin a moment there, Bones," he joked lightly. "I just wanted to cook you a romantic dinner on your first night back home."

"Technically, this is your first night home too," she pointed out. He shrugged and walked further into the kitchen.

"Then I'll cook a romantic dinner for _us _on _our _first night home," he amended.

"Booth?" He looked up from his task and smiled at his girlfriend. "If my father didn't kill Daniel, and you obviously didn't, who did?" Booth shook his head and walked up to her.

"I'm not gonna talk about that tonight," he said and caressed her face softly before leaning in for a kiss.

"But no matter who he was, someone murdered him. Don't you care about that?" she asked him forcefully. Booth ran his thumb across her cheek.

"Of course I care," he promised. "But he's dead. He can't hurt you or me or Evi anymore. I'm not gonna worry about who killed him right now. All I'm going to do is cook dinner for my beautiful girlfriend and forget about all the crap that's happened in the last week. I'll worry about murder and justice tomorrow. Does that sound okay to you?" His tone was playful and flirtatious and Brennan responded. She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him close.

"That sounds perfect," she said and gave him a lingering kiss.

**I hope you liked it! I know not much happened. Let me know what you thought of Max's appearance! I always worry about getting his character right.**


	13. Expendable

"Booth!" he heard his name being called down the hospital corridor. Booth turned on his heels to face the familiar voice. Hacker caught up with him and Booth immediately noticed the sheer intensity in his eyes. "How did you get the Daniel Rogers file?" Booth shrugged, but didn't respond. "Damn it, Booth. That's not your case! If I hadn't vouched for you you'd be in some serious shit right about now."

"I looked at the work that's been done on it so far," Booth finally explained himself. "The investigation has gone nowhere! The guy was killed two weeks ago and there's been no development in the case. And I mean none. Not so much as one suspect has been questioned. I just wondered why." Hacker shook his head in disbelief.

"That's not your call to make and you know it. The Bureau is a little more concerned about how a bomb got into a secure government building than finding out who killed some second-rate criminal. Shouldn't you be just a little bit worried about how you were practically blown to smithereens?"

"That doesn't matter now!" Booth insisted. "The guy who did it is dead. I don't really care how he got the bomb into my office. All I care about is who killed him and why." He paused as a thought occurred to him. "Let me and the team at the Jeffersonian take the case."

"No way," Hacker responded immediately. "You're too close to this one, Booth."

"Never stopped us before," Booth quipped. "Look, too much doesn't add up. I don't think this is a simple case of revenge here. Something isn't sitting right with me and I'm not gonna wait around for something else to happen to me or Bones." Hacker didn't say anything for a long moment.

"What do you think doesn't add up?" he decided to ask.

"Rogers said something to Bones about my death being 'part of the deal.' That suggests that he wasn't working alone. We're pretty sure he missed me on purpose on the night of the FBI ball. He might have even meant to hit Jameson. There's something else going on here and I'm gonna figure out what it is with our without your help."

"I'll see what I can do." Booth nodded appreciatively. "But you better find something and fast. I don't need you causing me anymore grief than you already have lately."

"Yes, sir," Booth conceded. "Thank you." Hacker shook Booth's hand and turned to leave the hospital. Booth walked back to the NICU where Brennan was just finishing up feeding Evangeline. "Bones, good news," he said lightly as he entered the room. "Hacker gave me permission to give Daniel's murder case to the Jeffersonian."

"How did you manage that?" she wanted to know. Booth chuckled and took a seat next to her in front of the incubator.

"I can be devastatingly charming," he teased. Brennan rolled her eyes. Booth smiled at the slightly-bigger-but-still-very-small bundle in his girlfriend's arms. "Did she eat good?" he asked. Brennan nodded.

"Yes, the doctor assures me that she has quite the appetite for an infant born this early. Also, you mean 'did she eat well.' Saying it like that makes you sound like an imbecile." She smiled teasingly at him and chuckled at his expression of mock offense. "We have about five minutes before she has to be placed back in the incubator. Would you like to hold her?" Booth didn't need to be asked twice. He gently lifted the baby girl from her mother's arms and cradled her close to his chest. He planted a feather light kiss to the top of her head and began swaying back and forth gently.

"Mommy thinks that I'm going to turn you into a grammatical train wreck," he teased in a baby talk voice.

"I will ensure that she doesn't become a 'grammatical train wreck.' I'll let her know in no uncertain terms that while a man of moderate intelligence, her father is not an authority on sentence structure."

"Geez, Bones, that almost sounded like a compliment. Good to know that I can go from an imbecile to a man of moderate intelligence in about twenty seconds."

"Who says I was talking about you?" Brennan pointed out. "I said her _father _was a man of moderate intelligence." Booth's eyes widened then narrowed into a glare.

"Not funny, Bones," he chastised. "Not even _close _to funny."

"I found it to be slightly amusing." Booth shook his head in disbelief and looked back down at his little girl.

"How long until she opens her eyes again?" he asked without taking his eyes off of her. Brennan sighed. This was far from the first time he'd asked that question.

"What is your obsession with her opening her eyes?" she inquired. Booth shrugged.

"I just like the idea of my daughter knowing what I look like," he explained.

"She'll open them in approximately three to four weeks. But even then they won't be focused enough to recognize faces for another week or so. Not to mention the fact that her brain is not yet developed enough to commit faces to memory and she doesn't comprehend that you continue to exist when you are out of sight…"

"Yeah, okay, Bones. It might be stupid and irrational, but I just want her to look up at me like she just knows that I'm her dad. I remember how that felt with Parker, there's nothing like it. You'll see."

"While you may not be an authority on sentence structure, I acknowledge you as an authority on the matters of the metaphorical heart. While I might know that Evangeline will not be able to recognize my face when she first opens her eyes, I accept that it might still be an emotional experience when she 'looks' at me for the first time." Booth grinned at her and leaned down carefully to plant a kiss on her lips.

"I love you," he told her with sparkling eyes. Brennan was taken aback, not expecting the sentiment, but she quickly recovered and gave him another sweet kiss.

"And I you," she reciprocated. Booth stood up straight.

"I like it better when you say it back," he complained with a pout. Brennan rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I love you too. Satisfied?"

"More than I've ever been," he replied glancing between his newborn daughter and the love of his life. Brennan rolled her eyes yet again.

"That was extremely corny, Booth."

"Yeah, but that's why you love me, Baby." The couple was interrupted by the sound of Booth's phone ringing. Evi began to fuss in his arms and he passed her off to Brennan. He answered the phone while Brennan rocked and soothed her daughter. "Booth."

"Either you work fast or the Bureau has more of an interest in this murder than we thought," said Hacker's voice. Booth sighed impatiently.

"What do you have, Hacker?"

"They brought Greg Sharper in for questioning. They didn't get anything useful, his alibi checks out. He was in court as a character witness for one of his former foster kids at the time of the murder."

"Thanks," Booth said and hung up. He pocketed his phone and looked at Brennan. "They brought your foster father in for questioning," he told her. "He didn't do it. His alibi checks out."

"I never would have suspected Greg in the first place," Brennan scoffed. "He's not the type of man who would kill someone as revenge for something that happened almost twenty years ago. Besides, the evidence suggests an accomplice situation gone wrong. Not revenge."

"Yeah, well, they have to cover all the bases." A nurse entered the room and informed them that it was time to put Evi back in her incubator. They watched as she was placed back in the clear box, both anxious for the day that they could take her home and be the family they always planned on being.

**-BONES-**

Booth stopped by the Jeffersonian to inform the team that they were officially on the Rogers case. The squints got right to work and Booth was filled with a sense of pride for his de facto family. On the way back to the hospital, he decided to drive by the apartment to pick up the mail that had undoubtedly been piling up over the last couple of days. He walked up to the mailbox and took the stack of mail out. It was mostly junk and he was about to walk back to the SUV when he spotted a plain white envelope with the words "Agent Booth" typed across the front. There was no address or stamp. The lip of the envelope was tucked inside; no doubt to avoid the DNA licking it would have left behind.

With unsure hands he opened the envelope, being careful not to compromise any fingerprints the lab might be able to find. He gingerly took the single piece of paper out and unfolded it. It was a typed, short note that nonetheless sent a shiver up his spine.

_Agent Booth,_

_ I find it amusing that you're so quick to believe that a moron like Daniel Rogers is capable of planting a bomb in a government building. I admit you were supposed to die in the explosion, but I'm willing to amend my methods. Just be aware that I'm still watching you, and this still isn't over. Daniel Rogers was expendable. A nobody. It's me you should be worried about. You will pay for what you've done. Of that I'm certain._

Booth took out his cell with shaking hands and dialed. "Will!" he exclaimed when his old friend picked up. "Listen, I just got a letter in my mailbox. Get the team together and send a couple guys over to the hospital to guard Bones and Evi."

"What letter?" Will asked. "What's going on, Seeley?" Booth shook his head vigorously. He didn't have time for questions.

"Don't worry about that right now. I'll explain everything later. Just get the team back on me, Bones, and Evangeline. Now, Will!" He hung up unceremoniously and practically ran back to the SUV. He took off for the Jeffersonian, hoping that the squints could tell him something, anything about the mysterious man who was still a very real threat to his family.

**Now we're getting into the meat of it! I think this story will have 3 to 5 more chapters after this one. I hope you all like the resolution in the coming chapters. :D Leave me a review! They make me grin like an idiot, honestly.**


	14. Let Him Die

**Hey everybody! Here's another chapter for all of you. I hope you like it!**

"Guys! Have you found anything?" Booth shouted across the lab. Three heads snapped up to look at him.

"Seeley, you left ten minutes ago," Cam pointed out. "What's going on?" Booth swiped his card and took the steps two at a time up to the forensic platform. He handed the envelope to Angela.

"I need you to check out this letter," he said as he tried to catch his breath.

"How?" Angela asked, turning the envelope over and over in her hand. Booth sighed in exasperation.

"How should I know?" he snapped. "I'm sorry. Just… do something, okay? I need to know who wrote it."

"Why don't you have the FBI check it for fingerprints?" Angela suggested.

"No, that won't do any good. This guy is too smart to leave fingerprints behind. He was smart enough to avoid licking it so he's smart enough to wear gloves." By now Hodgins and Cam were surrounding Angela and reading the letter over her shoulder.

"I can run an analysis on the ink," Hodgins suggested. "It'll probably just be run-of-the-mill printer stuff but maybe I can narrow it down to a certain brand."

"Not good enough!" Booth shouted. "I need to know who this is now!"

"We can only do so much!" Angela yelled back.

"We'll do the best we can but you have to be willing to wait," Cam added. Booth nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry. Look, I'm gonna go back to the hospital, make sure Bones and Evi are all right. Just… keep working."

"You know we will, Booth," Hodgins said. Booth turned on his heels and headed out of the Jeffersonian. He pulled out his phone and quickly dialed Brennan's number.

"Bones!" he exclaimed as soon as she picked up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Booth," she promised. "But two agents just arrived. What happened? Are you in some kind of danger?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "There was a letter in the mailbox when I went home to check it. There wasn't an address on it or anything. Listen, Bones, there's still somebody out there trying to get me out of the way. Whoever it is killed Daniel. I don't think you're in danger but I didn't want to take any chances."

"Oh. Be careful, Booth." He smiled in relief when he saw Will's car in the parking lot.

"Yeah, Babe. Will's here, everything's fine. I'm on my way back to the hospital now. I'll see you in about ten minutes, okay? I love you."

"I love you too," Brennan replied. She hung up; reassured by the fact that Will was there. Booth often talked of his old friend from the Gulf who had saved his life more than once. She glanced at the guards who were standing just outside the glass door to the NICU. She smiled and looked down at her baby. "You are certainly lucky to have Booth as a father. Although you will have to grow accustomed to having FBI agents follow you on dates." She chuckled as Evi made a gurgling noise and stroked her arm with her index finger.

**-BONES-**

The last thing Booth remembered was sitting with Will. They were discussing the letter and who it could possibly be from. He remembered calling Charlie to tell him to check out anybody who could have a grudge against him. He remembered Charlie making some stupid joke about that being a long list. He remembered asking Will how his wife and kids were doing in the week or so since they'd seen each other.

And then…

**-BONES-**

Brennan frantically mashed the buttons on her cell and held it up to her ear. She paced the length of the waiting room in pure anxiety. "Angela!" she shouted when she heard her friend pick up.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Have you heard from Booth?"

"He was here almost an hour ago," Angela replied. "He said he was going back to the hospital." Brennan nodded unconsciously.

"Yes, he must have called me just after he left the Jeffersonian," she reasoned. "Will was giving him a ride over here. They should have been here at least a half an hour ago. He isn't answering his phone. Ange, do you think something's happened?"

"Hey, aren't you the one who's supposed to be all about not jumping to conclusions?" Angela said lightly, trying desperately to keep her already frantic friend calm.

"There's still someone after him, Angela. He said he was on his way here nearly an hour ago. He won't answer his phone and I know he would call if he was going to be late to keep me from worrying. Logic suggests that something has happened. That isn't jumping to conclusions."

"Okay, something's wrong," Angela conceded. "What do we do next, Sweetie?"

"I'll tell the agents Booth sent over to guard me about the situation. They'll drive me to the Jeffersonian and we'll go from there."

"What about Evi?" Brennan stole a look over to the closed door to the NICU that held her still very fragile infant daughter.

"I'll leave one agent here to guard her. She's in excellent health and certainly does not need me right beside her every moment. She'll do fine."

"Will you?" Angela pointed out. Brennan sighed.

"I'll see you in a while, Angela." She hung up her phone and made a beeline for one of the agents.

**-BONES-**

Booth came to and tried his best to take in his surroundings. He was outside, judging by the patch of blue directly overhead. He turned his head painfully and saw several tall trees. They were quite a ways away so he figured he was in a field of some sort. He turned his head the other way and was met with the eyes of his attacker. He held a gun that was pointed directly at Booth's head. "You…" he managed to choke out. "Why?"

"Why?" his attacker scoffed. "Of course you would have to ask. He never really meant anything to you, did he?" The man was kneeling next to him now. Booth could feel his breath on his cheek.

Booth knew what he was referring to. There wasn't a day that went by where he didn't feel guilty. No matter how misplaced that guilt may be. "Not… my fault…" he rasped, telling the truth he had come to accept years ago. His lungs felt like they were on fire. He didn't know what his attacker had done to him, but it hurt. Badly. The man chuckled humorlessly and stood up straight.

"Is that how you live with yourself? He was like my kid brother! There's nothing I wouldn't have done for him! And _you _let him die!" Booth shook his head weakly.

"Tried… to save…" Booth was quickly losing the ability to speak. His vision was fading and a strange sense of peace washed over him.

"You tried to _save_ him? Hero Booth saves the day again, huh? Well where was that heroism _before _he was hit, huh?" Booth wouldn't have responded even if he could. "And he's not the only one! Now you're going to have to die out here all alone. Just like I should have let you do back then!" Booth barely registered the swift kick to his chest, but heard the distinct crack that meant he had broken ribs. As he slipped out of consciousness again, Booth's only prayer was that Bones would forgive him for being so completely stupid…

**-BONES-**

"How can we have nothing?" Brennan shouted in exasperation as she leaned over Daniel's body. Everyone was at a loss for how to comfort her. "There has to be something here. I have to find him!" Angela put a tender hand to her shoulder, but Brennan shrugged her off.

"Come on, Sweetie. Take a break."

"I can't take a break! Booth… Booth always found me. No matter what. If I can't find him…"

"Hey, look at me." Brennan did so, rather reluctantly. Angela gripped her shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes. "You've found him before too. You'll find him again. I promise."

"You can't know that. What if… what if this time I can't get to him? How am I supposed to live with that?" Brennan was crying now. Tears cascaded down her cheeks and she wiped at them desperately.

"Brennan, listen to me. You will find him. _We _will find him. There's an answer here somewhere. Okay? So we just keep looking until we find the clue that'll lead us to him." Brennan nodded with new resolve and turned back to the examining table.

**-BONES-**

Booth drifted in and out of consciousness, but he felt that this time might be the last he would ever be able to form a coherent thought. "Teddy… not my fault…" he managed to breathe once again.

"Shut up!" his attacker warned before delivering another blow to his stomach. "It was your fault! I saved your ass three times over there! I saved your life! And you couldn't be bothered to take care of my best friend! He was a kid! Barely twenty!"

"I… know… but…" He couldn't get any more out. His fight was quickly draining and he simply waited for death to take him. He saw his attacker rear up for another kick. "No!" Booth protested with what he was sure was his final breath. "No more… Bones… My… Our baby…"

"I'll make sure they're taken care of. I'll protect them. That's what you hired me for, isn't it? Did you think that'd make up for everything you put me through? After everything I did for you? You got me a lousy job! Like that would fix everything! You get to be a big shot FBI agent, and what do they get to be? What does he get to be?"

"Sorry… Sorry…" His attacker shook his head in disbelief.

"You're not far from the end now," he practically promised. "You'll probably live another hour or so. But you'll be alone. No one here to tell you it's going to be okay. No one to cry with you while your life slowly slips away. Now you'll know how they felt. You'll know how _he _felt!" With that, his attacker turned on his heels and walked away.

"I'm… sorry… Will…" were Booth's last words before it all went black.

**I know at least one person guessed the killer. What about the rest of you? We're just about done with this fic. Two more chapters I think then an epilogue. Leave a review telling me what you think!**


	15. With Friends Like These

**So here's the penultimate chapter before the epilogue! Thanks for all the feedback so far and enjoy!**

James Burnside jogged down the dirt road as he did every morning. Not many people knew about this place, which was one of the main reasons he chose it as his jogging route. He enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere and the sheer vastness of the field. He could see right over the horizon with nothing blocking his view.

He nearly ran past it. He first caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye, but figured his mind was playing tricks on him. He ran a few more feet before he stopped dead in his tracks. He didn't know what it was, but something was telling him to turn back. He turned around and scanned the area.

What he saw made his stomach turn. A man lay face down at the edge of the road. His hair was caked with blood and there was a steady pool of dark redness forming around him. James could see a trail of blood behind the man undoubtedly left when he tried to crawl to safety. James kneeled next to him and checked for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. James frantically pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed 911…

**-BONES-**

It was five in the morning. More than twelve hours since Booth was last seen. Brennan was asleep in her office, having finally given into her exhaustion. She slept lightly and stirred when someone entered the room. "Temperance." She recognized the voice, but couldn't place it in her half-conscious state. She rubbed her eyes and focused on the person standing at the foot of the couch.

"Will," she said when she finally recognized him. She was suddenly very much awake. "What happened? Where's Booth?" She had already rounded the couch before the first question escaped her lips. Will was visibly injured. There was a deep gash on his forehead and dried blood covered the right side of his face. Brennan looked behind him as if Booth would suddenly appear in her doorway.

"I'm so sorry," Will stated simply. "They ran me off the road. I hit my head pretty hard. I must've been knocked out for a minute or two because when I came around Booth was gone."

"Who's they?" Brennan demanded. Will shrugged.

"I don't know. Whoever wrote that letter. Whoever killed Daniel. I don't remember seeing a car or anything. They just rammed right into me. Then, like I said, I must've been knocked out. I'm sorry." Brennan felt like her heart might burst right out of her chest. Booth was probably already dead. Someone who intended to kill him wouldn't let him live for over twelve hours. Tears began to sting her eyes.

"Are you badly injured?" Brennan asked even though didn't particularly care at this point. Mostly she just wanted to punch Will for being alive and well while Booth most likely wasn't. But, that wasn't the rational thing to do. It wasn't his fault.

"No, I'm okay. Look, I want to help. What can I do?" Brennan's expression hardened as she found the professional within herself once more.

"Show your car to Hodgins. He might be able to discern the car that hit you." Will nodded and was about to leave when an agent burst into the office.

"Dr. Brennan!" His eyes were wild and Brennan instantly gave him her undivided attention. "A jogger found a man about fifteen miles outside of DC. He fits Booth's description."

"Is he…" She couldn't finish the sentence.

"He's alive." Relief washed over her and for a moment she couldn't breathe. She couldn't be sure, of course, but there was a chance that Booth was still alive. "I hear he's in pretty bad shape, but he's hanging in there. They're air-lifting him to Georgetown now." Both missed the look of shock and anger that graced Will's features for less than a second.

"I'll drive you," Will offered. Brennan was about to protest, but then realized that her friends needed to keep working. She simply nodded.

"Yes, thank you, Will." She turned back to the agent. "Agent, tell Dr. Hodgins to examine Will's car to determine what type of car struck it." She followed Will out of the lab while anxiety and doubt slowly replaced her original relief.

**-BONES-**

Brennan burst into the emergency room a good five feet ahead of Will and made a beeline for the nearest desk. "Excuse me. I'm here about a John Doe that was just brought in." The receptionist looked at her computer monitor for what felt like an eternity then looked back up at Brennan.

"Are you Dr. Temperance Brennan?" she asked. Brennan nodded fervently. "Can I see some ID?" Brennan dug into her pocket for the only form of identification she had on hand. Her Jeffersonian ID card. She handed it over and the woman eyed it skeptically. She seemed to make a decision and handed it back. "Room four back there," she gestured to a hallway behind her. "You better hurry. They're prepping him for surgery." Brennan took off for the hallway and Will attempted to follow. "You can't go back there, Sir," the woman called to him. He glanced at her with an expression bordering on a glare and sat in one of the chairs lining the wall.

Brennan opened the door to Room 4 and gasped at what she saw. He was lying on a table with a team of doctors and nurses surrounding him. She couldn't see him well from here but she could tell he was badly beaten. His face was swollen and was covered in blood. She stood completely still and just stared at the broken body before her.

A doctor looked up and saw her in the doorway. "Dr. Brennan?" She nodded numbly. "We've been expecting you. We need you to identify him. Can you do that?" She nodded again and willed her feet to move toward the bed. The medical personnel made room for her and she stepped between them.

She gazed down at the nearly-unrecognizable face and almost burst into tears. "Booth…" she whispered weakly and took his hand in hers.

"If you can't be sure by looking at him," a nurse behind her was saying, "this was found with him. Do you recognize it?" Brennan took the bag being offered her with her free hand and looked at the contents. A St. Christopher medal. She felt tears well up in her eyes once again.

"Yes, that's his," she confirmed. "These are also the clothes he was wearing when he went missing." She didn't tell them that she would also recognize his face anywhere, no matter how beaten and bloodied.

**-BONES-**

Over the next few hours Brennan received call after call from her friends asking for updates. Each time she assured them that she was fine and they should keep working. She had to admit she drew some strength from having Will beside her. She could see him being a very close friend once all of this was over. She could see why Booth thought so highly of him. Finally, after almost four hours of waiting, a surgeon emerged asking for her.

"He made it through surgery," the doctor announced. Brennan let out a breath. "We lost his heartbeat twice and we're not sure what the long-term prognosis is at this point, but he's stable."

"What are his specific injuries?" Brennan asked and wiped a rogue tear from her cheek. She felt Will's strong arm around her and she was thankful for the support.

"He appears to have been stabbed several times in the chest while also sustaining blunt force trauma to both the torso and head. He nearly bled out." Brennan nodded. The detailing of Booth's injuries had shaken her, but she wasn't about to let it show.

"When can I see him?" The surgeon smiled at her.

"You can see him now. He's in the ICU just down the hall. Room 403." She thanked him and watched him walk away.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Will asked. Brennan turned toward him and thought a moment before answering.

"Yes. Thank you." Will gave her a reassuring smile and walked with her down to Booth's room.

**-BONES-**

Brennan sat alone at Booth's side. Will had left to get something to eat. She held onto his hand and caressed it lightly. "I'm here, Booth," she told him, however irrational she knew she was being. "You're going to make it. Evi is going to know her daddy. You're going to spoil her rotten and teach her everything I can't. Please, Booth. We need you." A nurse had entered sometime during this speech and was smiling down at the young woman keeping vigil at her boyfriend's beside. Brennan looked up at her and blushed when she realized she had been caught talking to an unconscious man. The nurse glanced at Booth's heart monitor and her smile only grew.

"His heart rate picks up," the nurse observed. Brennan's brow furrowed.

"Excuse me?"

"When you talk to him," the nurse clarified. "His heart rate picks up when you talk to him. He knows you're here, on some level. He must love you very much if you just talking to him can do that to his heart. I've seen that kind of thing a few times in my almost thirty years as a nurse. It's always the ones who're in love." Brennan smiled at the kind woman and looked back down at Booth.

"I'm not certain that's scientifically accurate. But I enjoy the sentiment." The nurse chuckled. She liked this woman.

"You've got a baby girl?" Brennan nodded, not looking away from Booth. "Well, then it seems to me that he has a lot to live for."

"I don't think incentive to live has much if any effect on whether or not he will wake up."

"Honey, I've been doing this over half my life. Trust me, the ones that have something to fight for, do." The nurse let her words hang in the air for a moment before checking Booth's vitals and leaving the room.

"I love you, Booth," Brennan whispered and looked up at the heart monitor. It was definitely beeping faster. Will re-entered the room and handed Brennan her food. "Thank you for being here, Will," she told him softly.

"Hey, no problem. It's my job to take care of you. It's what Seeley hired me for."

"You've been very kind to me. I don't know how to repay you." Will sat in the chair next to Brennan and took her free hand in his.

"You don't owe me anything. Booth is my friend. And I hope we can be friends too." Brennan smiled and nodded.

"I would like that very much." She looked back at Booth. "Booth has told me numerous times what you did for him in the Gulf. He says you saved his life three times. He's said that he wants to be the kind of friend to you that you have been to him, but he'd never be able to do enough for you." She chuckled softly as a thought occurred to her. "It's quite an honor, being hired to guard me. Booth doesn't trust me or his children with just anyone. You have earned his trust in a way that not many people have." She raised her eyes to meet Will's. "I know I speak for both of us when I say that we are very grateful to you."

"Like I said, you have nothing to thank me for." Will stood abruptly and began pacing the length of the room. Brennan rose and walked over to him.

"I have to go to the restroom. Make sure he's not alone." She then surprised them both by pulling him into a hug. "Thank you for everything."

"Don't," they heard a weak voice beside them say. Brennan looked over at Booth's bed in disbelief. "Don't touch her." His voice was a little stronger now.

"Booth," she said as she let go of Will. Will's arms remained wrapped around her waist.

"You son of a bitch! Get away from her!" Booth's breathing was becoming shallow. Brennan disentangled herself from Will and rushed to Booth's bedside.

"Booth, what's wrong?" she asked frantically. Booth ignored her. His eyes were trained on Will and his expression was deadly.

"Don't you _ever_ touch her!" His monitors were beeping wildly and he was gasping for breath. Beginning to panic and feeling more than a little confused, Brennan hit the nurse call button and tried desperately to calm Booth down.

**This one actually ended up going a little differently than I had originally planned. As always, leave me a review telling me what you thought!**


	16. I Trusted You

**Hey and welcome to the last real chapter of this fic! I had a hard time getting this one right, so I hope you guys like it! As always thank you to Sam for her constant support and patience with my incessant questions.**

Brennan ran her fingers through Booth's hair in a desperate attempt to keep him calm. His eyes never moved from his old friend's face as he gasped for air. Brennan turned to look at Will with apologetic eyes. "I think you should leave," she suggested. Will nodded and left the room. Brennan turned her attention back to Booth, who was beginning to relax. "Booth, what's wrong? It's just Will." Booth shook his head and tried to gather his thoughts.

"It was him." Brennan just stared at him quizzically. "Everything. All of it. It was him. He blames me. He thinks I didn't do enough."

"Booth… you're just a little confused right now." Booth shook his head violently.

"No! Just… trust me, Bones. Okay?" The sheer desperation in his eyes was beginning to scare her so she relented.

"Okay. Okay, I trust you," she assured him although her eyes betrayed her uncertainty. Booth either didn't see it or chose to ignore it and searched for her hand with his. She slid her fingers between his and gripped tightly. A nurse walked in and smiled when she saw that he was awake.

"You should go get him," Booth told Brennan. "I'll be okay by myself for a little while. You shouldn't let him get away." Brennan nodded and gave Booth a kiss on the forehead. "I love you, Bones."

"I love you too," Brennan answered automatically as her heart slowly began to return to a normal pace. She let go of Booth's hand and walked out of the hospital room. She saw Will sitting in the waiting room and approached him.

"I'm sorry," she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "He's been through quite an ordeal. You were one of the last people he saw before he was attacked. He's just confused."

"It's okay," Will promised. "I understand. Look, I think I'm gonna go, if you're okay." Brennan nodded.

"Yes, he's awake now so I'll be okay." A rogue tear escaped at the thought of how close she had come to losing him, again, and she wiped it away. "Thank you again for everything, Will." Will didn't answer; he simply walked past her and toward the elevators. Once he was out of sight Brennan made her way back to Booth's room.

"That was fast," Booth commented with a smile when she walked back in. Brennan didn't answer and his smile faded. "You let him leave," he guessed. Brennan sighed and sat down in a chair next to Booth's bed.

"Booth, I don't know what it is you think you remember, but Will did not attack you."

"No, Bones! Would you just stop saying that I'm confused? He drove me out to some field and he beat me up. Why don't you believe me?" Booth was nearly in tears and Brennan's heart felt like it was being ripped apart.

"Booth…" He turned away from her both out of embarrassment at his tears and out of anger. "It doesn't make logical sense," she told the back of his head. Booth whipped his head back around to look at her.

"Of course. That's what it's all about with you. The logic of it all. You know, maybe once you could trust the man who loves you instead of thinking about what makes rational sense. I know what happened. I'm not mixed up. I need you to believe me, Bones." Brennan wanted to, so badly. But a tiny part of her still couldn't let go of what made sense to her. Why would Will come to the Jeffersonian instead of running? Why was he injured? Why did he stay with her when she wasn't sure if Booth was going to make it? Booth caught her unsure expression and shook his head sadly.

"I'm sorry," she told him sincerely. There was no reply. "I think I'm going to go sit with Evangeline for a while. I'll be back." Booth didn't say anything and watched her go. When the door closed behind her he grabbed the bag of food she left behind and hurled it across the room.

**-BONES-**

"I drove your car here," Brennan heard Will's voice as she made her way toward the elevators. She looked up and saw him walking toward her. "I figured you wouldn't want me to take it."

"No, that's fine. I'm going to be here with Booth all night. I can have Angela pick me up when I want to leave. I'm going to go sit with my daughter for a while." Just as Brennan was about to walk away, her phone rang. She glanced at the ID and answered. "Hi, Hodgins," she greeted.

"Hey, Dr. B. How's Booth?"

"He's awake now."

"That's good to hear. I'll give Angie the news. Listen, I found something interesting on the car." Brennan waited for him to continue. "It wasn't hit by another vehicle. The only particulates I found on the impact point were from something made of wood. The car hit a tree or a pole, not anything made of metal."

"It's not possible that another car pushed the vehicle into a pole or a tree?" Brennan tried to keep her voice low as her heart began to pound in her chest and she shifted away from Will unconsciously.

"No, there was only one impact point. This car ran into something made of wood on its own. On top of that, Angela says that the dent in the car makes no sense. There's no way this was an accident bad enough to knock someone out."

"Thank you, Hodgins." Brennan hung up and looked at Will with tears stinging her eyes. She fought them back and forced a smile. "Dr. Hodgins needs me to come back to the lab," she lied. "I think I'm going to sit with my daughter for a few minutes and then I would like you drive me, if that's okay."

"Sure, no problem," Will responded automatically. He watched Brennan walk over to the elevators. He had a heavy feeling in his chest. He genuinely liked Brennan and he was sorry that she was collateral damage in all of this. _But it's worth it_, he told himself. He'd try again. And this time he'd succeed.

Brennan walked into the NICU, a place that was becoming all too familiar to her. She walked up to Evi's incubator and stroked her tiny arm with her forefinger. Her eyes hadn't opened yet, but Evi responded to her mother's touch by rolling her head toward her. Brennan smiled and promised her little girl that soon everything would be put right. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed the only number she could think of. "Andrew," she greeted when he picked up.

"Temperance? I heard about Booth. Is he alright?" Brennan smiled at her old friend's concern.

"Yes, he's fine. I… I know who did this to him. And to Chief of Staff Jameson. It's Will. I can't prove it. I just… I need some help."

"Will as in Booth's security guy?" Brennan sighed in exasperation.

"Yes. I have circumstantial evidence tying him to the crime. Admittedly it's not much, but I have him here right now and I can't let him hurt Booth or anyone else."

"Okay, I'll have a couple guys down there within ten minutes."

"That's it? You're not going to ask for more evidence?"

"I trust you, Tempe. You'll find it. Just sit tight and keep him there."

"This is unethical," Brennan pointed out. "You don't even know what the evidence is. And I can assure it's not enough to justify an arrest warrant.

"If you say he did it, then he did it. Unless you're not sure?"

"I am." Andrew smiled at the familiar confidence in her voice.

"See? So I'll figure something out. You just leave the dirty work to me. My guys are on the way, okay?"

"He's going to be driving me to the Jeffersonian. Your agents can meet us there. Thank you, Andrew." They said goodbye and hung up.

"You ready to go?" Will asked when she approached him a few minutes later. She nodded silently and he led her down to the parking garage.

**-BONES-**

"I can stay with you for a while longer if you want," Will offered as they drove.

"That's okay," Brennan answered.

"I guess I feel like I have to make up for letting this happen to Booth. I mean, this is my job. I should've been able to prevent this." Brennan mumbled noncommittally in response, not trusting her acting abilities.

Mercifully, they pulled into the Medico-Legal Lab parking garage. Brennan watched as the agents approached the car and forcibly removed Will from the driver's seat. She listened as they mirandized him. And she saw the look of absolute betrayal on his face when he looked at her through the car window. "I trusted you!" Will shouted to her as the agents began dragging him away.

"You trusted me?" Brennan retorted in disbelief as she climbed out of the car. "Booth trusted you!"

"You don't understand, Temperance! I did the right thing! I did the right thing! If you knew everything you'd understand! I did what I had to do!" With that, the door slammed shut and Will's shouts muffled.

"Do you want someone to drive you back, ma'am?" an agent asked. Brennan shook her head, her eyes never leaving Will's face.

"No, thank you," she said politely as she glanced at the agent. She watched the car holding Will drive away then walked around the car without another word and drove back to the hospital.

Brennan opened the door to Booth's room, not entirely sure of what she would find. He glanced up at her when she walked in but quickly broke eye contact. "They arrested Will," she told him and took a seat next to his bed. Booth lifted his eyes to hers for another second. "I told them to."

"Did the squints prove it?" he asked with a hint of anger and betrayal in his voice. Brennan nodded slowly; not able to lie to him.

"I got a call from Hodgins that revealed an inconsistency in his story. It wasn't exactly proof but it was enough to convince me." Booth sighed and focused his attention on the ceiling. "I wanted to believe you," Brennan promised.

"But you didn't," Booth pointed out. "Instead of trusting me you trusted him." Brennan's instincts told her to grab Booth's hand, but she resisted.

"It has nothing to do with trust. No matter how much I trust you or how much I love you, you are not immune to being confused or incorrect." She paused and Booth just continued to stare off into space. "I believed that you believed what you were telling me. It never occurred to me that you might be lying. That's how I define trust, Booth. But apparently that's not how you see it." She sighed and changed the subject. "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone bashed my face in, stabbed me in the gut, and left me for dead," he replied curtly. He turned to look at Brennan. "I'm sorry. It's just… do you know how that feels? To know you're telling the truth but no one believes you?"

"Yes," she replied honestly. "Would it help if I told you that what Hodgins told me was circumstantial at best and I would never have accepted it as definitive proof of his guilt under normal circumstances?" Booth laughed as hard as his broken body would allow.

"I love you," he said when his laughter subsided.

"You didn't answer the question."

"Bones," Booth whined with a pout. Brennan rolled her eyes.

"I love you too." Booth smiled and leaned forward for a kiss but winced when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He rested his head on the pillow and Brennan leaned over to kiss him softly on the lips. "You know why he did it." It was a statement, not a question. She sat in her chair and took his hand in hers. "Will you tell me?"

"Will and I were in the gulf together," Booth went right into his story. "We both kind of took Teddy under our wing, but he was closer to Will. They had this big brother, little brother relationship. That day… Teddy was ordered to go out with me while Will was on another assignment. And when… Teddy was killed… Will was a wreck. When we went home Will was admitted to the hospital for treatment for PTSD. He was doing really good but then a few months ago he had a relapse and he lost his job. Everybody, especially him, thought I was crazy for hiring a guy who was still dealing with PTSD after all these years as the head of a security team. But this guy saved my ass three times over there, you know? I knew he'd take care of you. And his doctor told me that his PTSD was under control." Booth chuckled humorlessly.

"Don't you dare feel guilty about this, Seeley Booth," Brennan demanded. "This isn't your fault. You had no way of knowing what he would do."

"He's always thought that if he were there instead of me, Teddy would still be alive. And he has a mental illness. No matter how much I owed him or how much I trusted him I shouldn't have hired him with no questions asked. I'm an idiot."

"You're a very loyal man. You wouldn't turn your back on a friend who needed you. Perhaps your decision was a little misguided, but I understand the reasons why you did it, and they're valid. This is not your fault."

"Because of me and my warped idea of what I owed him, I put you in danger. I got Daniel and the Chief of Staff of the FBI killed. I let our daughter be born prematurely."

"Booth, look at me." He obeyed. Tears shined in his eyes and it made Brennan fight back her own. "You did not do this. This is a grudge Will has held for nearly twenty years. Whether or not he worked for you he would have found a way to exact his revenge. He's the only one to blame. He decided to kill Jameson and Daniel. You didn't. And as for Evangeline, we'll never know for sure why she was born early. But even if it was the stress of everything, none of it was your fault."

"I want to believe that, Bones. I really do." Brennan smiled knowingly and gave his hand a squeeze.

"Don't you trust me?" she asked teasingly.

"More than anything," he answered with a gentle smile. He pulled on her hand in a silent invitation to join him on the bed. She hesitated for a moment before gently easing herself next to him.

"Am I hurting you?" she asked anxiously. Booth gave her a kiss on the head.

"You're fine," he promised.

"Do you think you can forgive yourself?" she asked sheepishly.

"I can try," he answered honestly. "What happened and what I did might never be okay, but as long as I have you, I know I will be."

**So that's it! Look for an epilogue in a few days to tie up all the loose ends. As always, tell me what you think!**


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